Canine Therapy
by DianaMoth
Summary: After he left ANBU, Kakashi's friends see him as a loner, cold and withdrawn. As a veterinarian, Inuzuka Hana has the rare chance to see his tender side when he cares for his ninken. Change is slow but should be nurtured.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note :**_ _This is the work of a french fan. I don't own the world of Naruto and english isn't my mother tongue. Since this is unBetaed, expect some mistakes; if it bothers you, please send me a nice review with the correction and I'll fix it._

* * *

The door of the Inuzuka clinic opened quietly, letting through a warm breeze. Hana was washing her hands in the backroom and listened distractedly as her aunt greeted their customer.

"Hatake-san, here for your usual order? You're a bit early."

"Ah, no, Inuzuka-san," came the lazy drawl from their regular customer. "I'm here for Bisuke. He's complaining about stomachache."

"Poor boy. Go to the back then, Hana-chan will take a look at him."

The veterinarian quickly dried her hands and stepped towards the examination table as Hatake Kakashi walked in. The small ninken he was carrying had tan and brown fur, long ears and round eyes. The poor dog looked miserable, squirming in his master's arms and whining faintly.

"Good afternoon Hatake-san, Bisuke," Hana greeted them as the Haimaru brothers watched quietly from the corner.

The jounin nodded to her but didn't bother explaining himself again, knowing that her hearing range was just as good as his own. He carefully laid down Bisuke on the table and petted him gently when he tried to move closer to his warmth.

"Let's see what's wrong," Hana murmured as she put a hand above the dog's belly and closed her eyes to focus on her diagnostic jutsu. After a minute, she hummed thoughtfully. "Did you bring him to any swamp area recently, Hatake-san?"

"Yes, during our last mission, one week ago."

She nodded and looked up. "It's a parasite worm. Someone drank where he shouldn't have..."

"Maa, Bisuke, you know better," Hatake scolded softly. Every ninken was taught to wait for their master to provide their food and water outside of Konoha, unless they had been given the green light to hunt. Water purification pills weren't only for humans.

The ninken whined. "You were busy and I only drank a mouthful."

"As you can see, a mouthful is enough to make you ill," Hana noted with a small pat on the dog's head. "Fortunately, you brought him early enough, Hatake-san. I'll give you pills. He has to take them on an empty stomach. The first one right now, the second one in two hours then one in the morning for three days. Will you be able to watch over him?"

"I should be."

Hana nodded, understanding that an elite jounin like him could be called away for emergency much more often than it happened to her. "Bring him here if anything changes."

"Aah, thank you."

She went to the lab bench to prepare the drugs, asking Haimaru to bring her what she needed as she set to work. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Bisuke snuggle up to his master's vest. The jounin was petting him with tender care, humming low when some whines became louder. Hana hid a soft smile behind the collar of her medic coat and focused on grinding the plants she needed.

At her feet, Ru whined softly. She nodded her head. The younger of the triplets climbed on the examination table to curl around the sick and smaller dog.

"Look at who's keeping you company, Bisuke…" Hatake scratched the back of his head sheepishly as he admitted: "Maa, Hana-san, I'm afraid I don't know your ninken individual names or how to differentiate them."

She shook her head. "Few people do. Boys. Introduce yourselves."

"Hai!" The one standing beside the backdoor said.

"Ma." The one curled around her feet yawned.

"Ru," finished the one on the table as he nuzzled Bisuke.

Kakashi snorted. She shrugged. "They don't need fancier names. The eldest is Hai. You may notice he's slightly bigger. Ma has a scar on his left forepaw. Ru has a small slit on his right ear." There were many other ways to differentiate them of course: they didn't have the same posture, habits or personality, but those were the easiest for outsiders. Even Kiba had troubles sometimes if he couldn't see the physical differences.

"I see. Thank you then, Ru." Hatake offered his hand to the youngest brother who licked it without hesitation. "They talk?"

"Only when they want to. Ma and Ru don't like it so they don't train and can only speak small specific words. Hai is better at it – his father made sure he was, as the eldest. He can communicate with my teammates when needed."

"Their father is your mother's ninken, isn't he?"

"Kuromaru, yes. He can be a slave driver. Isn't that right, Hai?"

The ninken whined before rolling on his back, paws up and tongue hanging out to play dead in a very theatrical way. The humans snorted and Hana shook her head. "Being the eldest, such a hardship…" she teased before dosing each pill and rolling them in a perfect ball. She moved closer to Bisuke and offered him the first dose.

The small ninken whined and withdrew. "Smells bad."

Kakashi poked him on the muzzle. "But it'll make you feel better. Be a good boy and swallow what you're _supposed to_ , Bisuke."

The dog relented and Hana went to finish the other pills. Hatake nodded and thanked her as she gave him a small paper bag. He put it away in one of his vest's pocket and carefully lifted Bisuke in his arms before taking his leave politely.

Hana washed her hands and her workspace with great care before relenting and glaring at her ninken. She could feel their stares. "Oh, shut up, boys. I'm allowed to like someone who takes such good care of his ninken and isn't family, alright?" The Haimaru brothers lolled their tongue at her mischievously. She grumbled and turned her back to them as they continued to mock her silently. "And remember our deal, not a word to anyone about this, are we clear?" She sent them a glare over her shoulder. If her mother or brother learn about this, she would never hear the end of it.

oOo

Two days later, she stepped into the clinic at nine in the morning to find Bisuke lying on the examination table.

"Oh, Bisuke. Since when are you here, boy?"

"Not long. Kakashi said 'sorry'. He was in a hurry."

"It's alright," she assured him, petting him softly. "Ru, find a good cushion for him." Her youngest ninken was always eager to help in the clinic and comfort her patients. He cuddled with Bisuke after a quick examination to make sure everything was going smoothly.

Once she had tended to her little patient, Hana focused on her work for the day.

When Hatake came back, late in the afternoon, she was reading a medicinal scroll with Bisuke on her lap, petting him absent-mindedly. The Haimaru brothers had left to train with some of their canine friends and she had a lot to study.

A soft cough startled her and she spun around in her chair to see Hatake leaning against the door. She hadn't heard or smelt him. Elite jounin, indeed.

"Hatake-san, come in. Bisuke seems to feel much better already; he recovered his appetite a few hours ago."

"That's good to hear. I'm sorry for dumping him on you without a word."

"Any ninken is welcome here, anytime. I was just worried he had to wait alone." She scratched Bisuke's chin and smiled when he wagged his tail with pleasure.

"Maa, Hana-san, you're spoiling him." Hands in his pockets, the jounin stepped forward and leaned above them, tutting softly. "Don't get any idea about pretending to be sick to see the nice veterinarian, boy, you hear him?"

Hana raised a questioning eyebrow.

Hatake shrugged. "It happened. Pakkun had a crush on your aunt when he was a pup. He wouldn't stop whining about going to live with the Inuzuka. It was a _bad_ time."

Hana chuckled at the tilt of Hatake's head. Even with most of his face covered, he was able to pull off resignation with dry humor. She lifted Bisuke from her lap. "Well, we can't have that. As much as I love ninken, I wouldn't want to alter the efficiency of your summons. I know how that feels."

"Like a nasty headache?"

They nodded in commiseration.

As she stood up to see him to the door, knowing that her aunt manning the desk had left for the kennels, a few barks came from the open window. One of the Haimaru brothers was leaning over the windowsill with a little guest on his head.

"Yo!" Pakkun said, paw raised toward her in greeting. "The scroll has been delivered, boss. Bisuke, you look better."

Surprisingly, the tan dog growled and turned his head away. Hatake poked him on the muzzle. "Don't, boy. If Pakkun hadn't told me you were sick, it would have been worse."

"Whatever. Let the pup whine," Pakkun responded with a shrug before jumping on the desk besides Hana to nudge her hand. Ignoring Bisuke's protest about being called a pup, Pakkun enjoyed his petting with a blissful look. "It's been too long Hana-chan. Did you miss me?"

"I can't say I did, Pakkun, mostly because you're hurt when I see you. I'm never eager to see my patients sooner."

Pakkun whined. "That's because Kakashi is boring. I told him to bring me when he comes buy our food but he never listens."

"I wonder why," Hatake muttered as the pug roll on his bag for a belly rub.

At the window, the other two brothers appeared. Haimaru barked enthusiastically. Pakkun immediately wiggled his tail. "Oh, that's a good idea!"

Torn between glaring at her ninken and wanting to kiss them, Hana rubbed her jaw and explained to Hatake: "The Haimaru brothers are asking for a… playdate with all your summons. If you're willing, I can make dinner for everyone."

"Maa, I don't want to intrude…"

"You won't. Mum is on a long mission and Kiba is on a camping trip with the academy." She shifted uneasily, wondering what would convince the jounin to agree. Considering he was coming back from some mission or another, maybe some promise of rest. "You can keep me company without being bothered and get some homemade food in exchange?" She offered with a bit of uncertainty. Oh dear, she was bad at this. Well, it was a good thing she wasn't planning to ask him for a date (she wasn't delusional).

"Come on, Kakashi!" Pakkun pleaded, soon joined by Bisuke: "Please, boss? Please, please, please!"

The jounin scratched his mask before shrugging. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt."

"Oh yeaah! Inuzuka dinner, here I come!" Pakkun shouted, paws raised to the sky as he sat on his hind legs. Hai nipped his ear and the other brothers barked. "Maa, of course, I like you too, guys, but… food!"

His master facepalmed and sighed. "Last chance to get out of this before they eat you out of house and home, Hana-san."

Hana chuckled and shook her head. "It won't be the first time or the last." She took off her medic coat and proceeded to close the clinic. When she turned around after locking the door, Hatake had summoned his ninken and told them the good news. The ensuing clamor only faded when they scattered for a game of tag.

The jounin watched his dogs play and enjoy themselves. "I suppose it has been a while since they had someone else to play with." For a second, she thought he sounded a little guilty before he turned to her with a smile. "Thanks for the invitation, Hana-san. Need help with the food?"

"I won't say no to that."

They walked deeper in the compound to the clan's head house. Inuzuka's houses were traditional, built with wood around a private courtyard to provide open space. Hana had started a little medicinal garden along the patio, with around ten different herbs and many more planned. Now that she had finally managed to train every ninken in staying away from them, she could try some more delicate plants.

It was a warm evening in September. With all the paper doors opened to increase airflow, they were surrounded by mint and lavender's scents as they prepare their companions' dinner in a comfortable silent. It was routine for both of them and they only spoke to share some advices or comments on their ninken's preferences.

Hana went to the kitchen to prepare their own meal as Hatake filled eleven bowls with water. Feeding their companion before themselves was one of the first lessons Inuzuka clansmen learnt. Hatake seemed to share a similar mindset, if only because he would be more likely to have some peace during his meal that way.

As Hana set the table in the living room half an hour later, she caught sight of the jounin lying down on the patio, reading his infamous book peacefully. With his bare feet against the wood floor, knees bent and one arm under his head, it was the more relaxed she had ever seen him. She took a few seconds to watch him quietly before calling him.

"I hope you don't expect anything fancy," she said when he stepped inside. "I'm a relatively good cook but ask me to make things like those cute bentos trending currently and it's a disaster."

"Anything edible and homemade who is done by other hands than mine is quite enough of a treat for me."

"Good. Last time I tried too hard, I nearly made Kiba cry when I told him his onigiri was supposed to look like Akamaru. I admit it looked more like a ghost."

He chuckled as they sat down at the low table.

Hana ate slowly. Table manners weren't a priority in the family but she wasn't willing to embarrass herself in front of her guest. As they ate in silence, she kept her eyes on her food until she went to fill her bowl with noodles from a shared dish and saw that her guest had already ate twice more than she had. She blinked in surprise before remembering how one of her older friend, Kurenai, used to complain about him eating too fast to keep his mask on. That wasn't very healthy. "If you wish to eat slower, Hatake-san, I can promise you I won't try to look," she offered, keeping her eyes down. She was curious, of course, but she had manners (where did they come from? No-one knew).

A few minutes later, he stated: "Maa, you should call me by my first name, Hana-san."

She nodded, accepting without a word, but hid a small smile behind her bowl of soup when she noticed he had slow down.

They were finishing their plates when incoming noises warned them of their ninken's return. The ensuing contest to reach their meal first shattered the calm the shinobi had enjoyed. Hana watched with narrowed eyes as Haimaru pushed one of the smaller summons away. She whistled sharply, immediately reminding the brothers of their manners. They looked up at her sheepishly and let their guests reached their bowls first. Only then the peace returned.

Satisfied, Hana checked that Kakashi had put down his chopsticks before looking at him. His eye was curious as he stared back at her.

"Maa, I don't remember ever having such a quiet time with an Inuzuka before. Do you never shout Hana-san?"

She snorted. "Oh, I do. At my idiot of a brother, quite often. It seems like it's the only way he listens sometimes – I blame mum." She pushed away her hair from her face and shrugged. "I like the quiet. I'm _definitely_ not used to it but I'm enjoying it as long as I have it. Would you like some tea, Kakashi-san?"

"Please." He nodded and stood up as she cleared the table. "Let me help. Pakkun, behave."

"I'm an example of perfect behavior!"

"Then keep your paws to your own bowl if you want Hana-san to invite you again."

Hana laughed softly as she stepped in the kitchen and distantly heard Pakkun's whine. Kakashi followed her and put down the dishes next to the sink.

"If I were you, I wouldn't invite them, they're uncouth scoundrel," he murmured with false honesty.

She chuckled. "One would wonder what their summoner must be like."

"The worst rascal ever, I heard."

She laughed frankly and raised her voice to answer the ninken's protests: "You are welcome anytime, boys!"

"You will regret this," Kakashi announced solemnly, a glint of mischievousness in his eye betraying his satisfaction.

"I don't doubt it," she agreed with a wide smile.

But not today.

They spent the evening drinking tea and reading peacefully while their canine friends slumbered in a big pile, exhausted by their games. Kakashi had resumed his previous position, lying down with a cushion under his head. On the other side of a tea tray, Hana was sitting with her feet dangling from the patio.

"It looks like some heavy reading," Kakashi noted after a while, glancing at the scroll she was furrowing her brow at.

"Iryou ninjutsu. I need to understand this before my shift at the hospital tomorrow afternoon or I won't hear the end of it." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair – she had let it down after doing the dishes. "I hate biochemistry," she sighed and put her scroll away. She needed a break. Lying down, parallel to Kakashi, she watched the darkening sky, pleased to find the crescent moon already up.

"I thought you only worked at the clinic?"

She snorted. "Oh, I wish. No, as a registered medic-nin, I have a quota of hours to do at the hospital. Since I'm specialized as a veterinarian, it's cut by half, but still. My goal is to become a field medic. Then I would be able to share my time between the clinic and the missions only. No more smelly hospital. Plus, it would be more interesting." She smiled brightly, excited by the prospect.

Kakashi hummed quietly. "A worthy goal. When do you plan on it?"

She deflated and pouted slightly. "Sensei says I'm not ready yet. I have to be able to cleanse the blood from basic toxins." She nudged her scroll despondently. "I hate poisons."

He chuckled and she glared at him, pouting more. His eye crinkled and he waved a hand. "I'm sure you'll do fine. You're smart, it won't resist you for long."

Appeased, she nodded and grabbed the scroll. "Damn right!" Ignoring his small chuckles, she went back to work.

When Kakashi took his leave an hour later, he thanked her with a small bow and she reiterated her invitation for another time. Something told her he wouldn't come if her mother and brother were at home but maybe if she was alone again… Ah well, it didn't matter. It was nice while it lasted.


	2. Chapter 2

January was unusually cold. It wasn't every year that they had snow in Konohagakure. It reminded Kakashi of the winter he had spent guarding Kushina while she was pregnant, the last one before she and Minato-sensei had died…

And yet, the snow was calming. He had stared at the slow fall from his flat's window and went out as soon as it had stopped to summon his ninkens. It was a rare treat for them too. Watching them bounce and roll in the snow had chased away the ghosts of the past for a while.

After a bit of fun, Pakkun had quickly left his packmates to get refuge under Kakashi's coat, muttering about preserving his soft paws. His black little nose was barely coming out of the collar. It was keeping them both warm.

"So," the ninken started, "what's new?"

"Nothing. You know I hate when you ask that."

"I know. I'm just checking."

"Checking what?"

"Your level of gloom. Tonight, it's a four on a scale of ten. You're having a good day."

"Why do I feel like you're sassing me?"

"Probably because I am. Did you see that pretty Inuzuka girl recently? Hana?"

"No. Why?"

"I'm still hoping for a miracle."

"You don't make much sense today, Pakkun."

"Don't mind him, boss," Uuhei interrupted as he climbed on Kakashi's lap, quickly followed by Bisuke. "Can we go to the hot springs? Please?"

Kakashi scratched his cheek through his mask. "The hot springs, uh? It has been a while…"

"Yeah! And they're great when it's cold! Right? Right?"

"Maa, if everyone is okay with it, I suppose we could…"

Since they all agreed eagerly, hot springs it was. Kakashi went back to his flat to get towel and soap and they made their way to one of the less used onsen in town. It was a bit further, in the middle of the trees, with fewer commodities and a mixed bath but, contrary to other hot springs, animals could join their masters in the water. For this reason, it was favored by some shinobi, mostly the Inuzuka (whose compound wasn't far).

When they came in, the only ones present were a retired shinobi and his ninken. The old man was blind and disfigured. The dog had no tail. They were probably victims of the previous war and Iwa's explosion corps. They were quiet except for a brief grunt in reply to Kakashi's greeting.

The onsen had a open washing area sheltered by a rooftop with a quite slippery stone ground. The pool was wide with hidden parts and boulders in the middle, surrounded by rocks and snow covered bushes. The air was so cold that steam was thick above the water.

The dogs being allowed in didn't mean that they could just jump in the pool. Just like the humans, they had to wash beforehand with water and soap. And since they didn't have opposable thumbs to help them, Kakashi patiently washed them one by one. He didn't mind, it was a repetitive task that clear his mind.

Uuhei was the last. After taking off the bandages that hid the scars left by a poisoned blade several months ago, Kakashi had to wash him while carefully massaging the tender skin.

That's when Hana and the Haimaru brothers came out of the ladies changing room. There was a sudden clamor of greetings from the ninken but the veterinarian, wrapped in a big fluffy towel, shushed them quickly. She waved to Kakashi but went around the pool to kneel near the old man. "Ojii-san, your wife is asking for you," she said loudly, hinting to auditory problems for the veteran.

"Aah. Fine," the elder mumbled as he slowly stood up.

Hana made sure she was nearby when he climbed out of the water, looking up to ignore his nudity, but didn't fuss over him otherwise. As soon as she was sure he wouldn't slip, she joined Kakashi in the washing area.

"Good morning," she greeted him with a wide smile before turning to the ninken. "Sorry I shushed you boys, but ojii-san gets jittery when there is too much noise."

"They should have known better," Kakashi noted before letting Uuhei go and shooing his dogs to the hot water. One part of the onsen was shallower, with different steps to make sure every dog could touch the bottom. Pakkun just had enough water to soak his belly, which was exactly how he liked it. With the steam, he was barely seen.

As Hana proceeded with the same washing process for the Haimaru brothers, she glanced to Uuhei. "It's his first time with such a cold weather, isn't it? How is he? Any pains?"

Sitting on a stool with his back turned to her for both of their modesty, Kakashi washed himself quickly. It was literally freezing and the hot water called to him. "He whines a little but he likes to pretend it's fine. It seemed a little tense when I rub it but it eased when I did it like you told me to."

"That's good. The hot water should help too."

Kakashi nodded before walking to the pool. Though he had taken off his hitai-ate, his mask was still on and hid his pursed lips. The day Uuhei had been severely hurt still haunted him.

It was during a mission in Grass. Kakashi had run back to Konoha at full speed but it had still taken way too much time for his taste. More than once, he thought he had lost the dog. When he had been in sight of Konoha's gates, he had flashed the hand signals for "Medical Emergency" and bypassed every checkpoint to rush to the Inuzuka compound. It was seven in the morning. No-one was at the clinic yet but one ninken passing by had taken a look at him, smelt the blood, and immediately howl for help. At any other time he would have wondered about the information contained in that howl but the only thing that had mattered at the time was the speed of reactions of the Inuzuka. Hana had been first. Still in her sleep clothes, ponytail askew, she had taken a glance at Uuhei, put on her medic coat and went to work. Her aunt had appeared two minutes later and they had managed to save him but oh Kami… that had been close.

Kakashi tenderly stroke Uuhei's head to comfort himself before going to sit and relax with his towel on his head. Eyes closed, listening to his ninken breathing and voices, he found relief in the idea that, no matter what, he still had them. He had not failed them. Not those who had pledged their life to him. Not them.

Distantly, he heard Hana's soft footsteps as she walked on the wet floor to reach the pool. He didn't try to catch a glimpse. No matter what some thought, his 'perversity' was limited to the Icha Icha books.

He couldn't help but carefully open his eye though when he heard her murmur to his dogs. She was kneeling on the bottom, her body hidden by the water and the steam. Entirely focused on Uuhei, she was talking to him softly as her hand glowed green against the dog's old scars.

"That's good, boy," she was saying, "but you have to tell Kakashi-san if it hurts, alright? He can make it feel better. A massage helps a lot, right?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to bother him."

Kakashi frowned heavily. "You won't bother me Uuhei. I would be more upset if you don't say anything."

"That's right," Hana calmly continued, "you can't be on top of your game if you're in pain, Uuhei. So, if you want to be good, you have to tell your Alpha how you feel."

"Okay." The shy dog nuzzled her palm and thanked her.

With a smile, Hana moved to Akino and asked about his eyes and their high sensitivity to light – the result of a flash bomb years ago and the reason he was usually wearing sunglasses. The light's reflection on the snow tended to bother him a little. She went on, speaking to each summon about their well-being. The dogs were basking in the attention.

"Marry her."

Having felt his smallest ninken climb on his towel, Kakashi was expecting a comment and he wasn't disappointed. He rolled his eyes. "I'm not marrying a minor."

"Bah, as if a number matters. She's a chuunin and able to bear pups–eek." The pug spit out water and clinged to Kakashi's hand to save himself from the dive he had just taken.

Kakashi raised his head and smiled innocently at Hana when she glanced at them. Thankfully Pakkun had the decency to murmur in his ear while Hana was focused on something else, otherwise… Kakashi glanced quickly to the Haimaru brothers and repressed a groan when they lolled their tongue at him, clearly having hear everything and founding it hilarious. The jounin sent them a hand signal for "secret". Hai seemed to ponder before he tilted his head and announced: "Playdate."

Hana glanced at him, confused, but Kakashi got the message. He was offered a deal. Fine. It could be worse. "That seems a good idea. Do you have time today, Hana-san?"

"Uh? Oh, yes, it's fine. I just finished a mission yesterday, I have the day off."

"Playdate this afternoon then."

Hai's smile was very smug. Kakashi hadn't thought he could pull that off. Pakkun sauntered away with a satisfied air.

Putting an arm above his eyes, the jounin sighed quietly. He stayed motionless when Hana sat by his side, the water rippling around her. "Do you want me to tell them off for whatever they did?"

"We taught them to be shrewd; punishing them for it would be counterproductive."

"True. Well then… in that case… well done Haimaru!" She shouted. The dogs barked proudly in answer.

Kakashi snorted and raised his arm to glance at her. "You aren't obliged to encourage them either."

She grinned mischievously at him. "But I'm glad they managed to get you to agree to a playdate. It's been a while since we've seen each other… which means that the boys were all healthy, which makes me happy, of course, but you get my meaning…"

"Not really. With few exceptions, people aren't generally eager to see me."

"Well…" She paused. "There are a lot of things I could answer to that but I'll abstain to avoid putting my feet in it."

"Maa, such a wise woman."

"I try. It mostly involves predicting what could go wrong to stop my brother and mother from doing it. Putting their feet in it is one of their specialties, especially if there's a Hyuuga around."

"I can believe it. How are your clans not yet at war?"

"Eh. If you ask mom, she'll say it's because they're too afraid of her. In my opinion, Hiashi-sama is just used to her weird antics and cultivates in his clan a certain kind of self-importance dictating that, as our betters, they should bear with the Inuzuka's rudeness with dignity."

Surprised by her insight, Kakashi tilted his head. "And that doesn't bother you?"

"Not really. Their opinion doesn't matter to me and I think they're hilarious when they raise their noses at us. They're such peacocks." She waved a hand. "Anyway, it works for the clan heads so…" She shrugged and adjusted the bun she used to keep her hair dry.

"Won't you be the clan head one day?"

"In theory, if the clan accepts me as Alpha then yes. I suppose things would change then but since I hope it will be a long long time before it happens, I don't dwell on it. A lot of things can change in the meantime."

"True." Kakashi sighed and stretched out his arms on the rocks surrounding the pool. Making plans for the future was something he hadn't done in years. He was doing what was asked of him and, when he had some free time, he was living it one day at a time. It was easier and uncomplicated.

Their conversation died down as they relaxed and enjoyed the quiet. As he had found out one evening of September, Hana was a good companion, knowing when to be quiet but also how to hold a conversation. Her biggest quality though was that she didn't pry. No questions, no expectations, just good company. That's why, though he tended to ignore and shy away from Gai, Kurenai and even the laid-back Asuma, the idea to spend time with her didn't seem so daunting than with anyone else. It seemed like, by her side, he was learning how to socialize once again. Years ago, it had been Minato-sensei who had wanted to spend time with him, even if it meant keeping quiet, simply reading by each other side. Maybe it was one of the many things he missed, something so simple and yet so accepting.

oOo

They had left the onsen just in time for lunch. Hana had let him choose between eating at her home or eating on the way, at a small restaurant nearby. He wouldn't have been opposed to eating her cooking again but she was obviously only offering by politeness. Though she seemed quite relaxed by their bath, her gait was slow and wary. She probably had done a lot of running during her last mission.

Letting their ninken walked by themselves to the Inuzuka compound, they stopped by a udon stall. Kakashi voluntary took a stool on the far side, leaving Hana between him and another customer. As they received their order, Kakashi noticed immediately how the civilian lady seemed entirely focused on him. Resigned, he was getting ready to use one of his many tricks until he noticed how Hana shifted to always obscure him from view. Even when the lady brusquely stood up, Hana sat up straight with her bowl in hand, still eating and looking imperturbable. The civilian left with a huff and it wasn't until she was out of hearing that Hana snickered.

"Does it happen often?" She asked, still looking at her meal.

"It happens," Kakashi sighed.

"I suppose the mysterious look works for you," she conceded with a smirk.

"Maa, you think so, do you?" He teased.

"Sure, you're handsome enough that any scar you might hide could be overlooked anyway, like Raidou-san."

He raised an eyebrow. "Most women don't overlook Raidou's scar."

"Then he shouldn't bother with those."

"Are you interested, Hana-chan?" Sue him but this was too good to be ignored.

She rolled her eyes at him. "No, thank you. I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm just a rowdy Inuzuka anyway, he's always frowning at me. We had a two-week mission together and I swear I didn't see him smile once."

"That's… possible." Raidou was relatively strict and exigent, not a good match with the Inuzuka's exuberance. "But then I'm not renowned for my sunny attitude either." He was quite surprised to see her blush slightly in answer. She wasn't the coy type.

"I suppose you aren't, no, but you have a softer side… with your ninken."

"Aah." That… wasn't wrong, he supposed but few people witnessed it. For most, Kakashi was all business and no play. As he finished his meal, his thoughts went to Gai, Kurenai and Asuma, all so determined to get him to socialize and lighten up. "Some people would like me to be more like that," he stated on impulse.

Hana blinked at him slowly. "Well… I can't pretend to know you well but… aren't you already trying?"

"What do you mean?"

She indicated them both with her forefinger. "This. Us. You teasing me five minutes ago, listening to me and finding it funny sometimes… It's more than I ever received from Raidou-san, that's for sure." She shrugged. "I don't expect a traumatized dog to gallivant without a care in the world from one day to the next. It's the small progresses that count."

They payed and left the stall, following their way back to Hana's home. With his hands in his pockets, Kakashi pondered her words. "What about…" He abruptly shut up.

"Yes?"

"What about a dog who progress more with a stranger than with a trusted friend?"

If she found funny or pitiful that he was hiding behind an analogy with a dog, she didn't show it.

"Some dogs answer better to me than to their master. It's not a failure from the dog or the master. It's just that some dogs want to get better not for themselves but for this person that they care for so much. They want to reach their expectations and put pressure on themselves to do so. Either they try too hard and fail, which often ends up with an aggravation of their state, or they don't try at all because they fear the failure and the subsequent disappointment. When that happens, bringing in someone new like a veterinarian can help. I don't care how he was before the trauma, all I know is that I found him in a bad state and I want him to get better. It can take ages, there will probably be some ups and downs but it will be progress."

"Aah." Kakashi nodded slowly as he scratched his cheek. He supposed that made sense. That relieved his guilt somewhat (if Gai learnt he was spending more time with Hana than with him, he would cry rivers of tears… then he would start planning their wedding).

"To the master or friends of a traumatized animal, I tend to tell them to stay open. To invite him in their space, in their activities, and to let him sit by if that's all he want to do. Peace but not loneliness, that's important for a good recovery… and I'm shutting up now because I'm rambling." She pulled on her coat's collar and adjusted her red scarf to hide her embarrassment.

"It's interesting rambling. I've heard worse," he noted to appease her.

They arrived to Hana's house to find a battlefield with snow trenches in her courtyard. Kakashi pulled Hana away from the danger zone and they walked inside to escape the madness. Just before Kakashi closed the door, Pakkun and Uuhei darted in to warm themselves. After everyone dried their paws or took off their shoes, Hana went to prepare some tea and Kakashi turned on the heater under the kotatsu. His ninken immediately used him as a pillow and he lied down to read his book.

This… this was nice.

* * *

 _ **Kotatsu** = a low, wooden table covered by a heavy blanket with a heat source underneath_


	3. Chapter 3

Spring was late this year. It was April 13th and the cherry trees were finally blossoming. There weren't many cherry trees in Konoha anyway, since Hashimara trees took most of the space. However, for Hana, it was still an important symbol. She was growing up with the return of the cherry blossoms and this year in particular was her eighteenth birthday. She was considered an adult since she became chuunin, at thirteen years old, but was still deprived of her right to become clan head until that day… today. She was pretty sure that in any other clan that would have meant some kind of fancy ceremony but not with the Inuzuka. Her mom had made a nice lunch for her, thumped her on the back and congratulated her. As soon as Kiba had come back from the Academy and gave her his gift (a pot of Calendula bought on the way home, probably with the help of the Yamanaka girl in his class after he realized this morning that yes her birthday was today and he had nothing for her; geez, that boy…), Tsume had sent her to get hella drunk until dawn (her words).

Hana had eaten dinner with a few friends in a nice restaurant where she had savored some delicious tsukune, her favorite food. After that, she had absolutely no intention to do as her mother said but she wasn't in a hurry to go back home either. One of her friend, Kurenai, was in a festive mood too and Hana made the mistake of admitting she never went to a bar before. That's how she ended up going to the "best one in Konoha."

It was a nice place with warm lightning, wood furniture and beautiful calligraphies hanging from the walls. This izakaya was upscale but not excessively so. Most clients were renowned shinobi, jounin or tokubetsu jounin. In a corner she caught sight of the Jounin Commander and his friends of the Ino-Shika-Chou trio.

Kurenai and Hana sat at the bar and enjoyed their first drink while reminiscing their first mission together, the one that had started their friendship. It had been one of the first missions Hana had done without her genin team after she had been promoted to chuunin. She had been nervous (even if her pride wouldn't have allowed her to admit it) and Kurenai had been a godsend. With their two teammates being misogynistic assholes, the ladies had stuck together. Without her, Hana probably would have bit her tongue to not lash out at a superior (for a rookie, that wouldn't have gone well at all).

"To female solidarity." They toasted with a smile.

"Does this mean an interruption is unwelcome?"

They turned around to see the three men that had just entered. Hana hid a smile behind her glass when she recognized the one coming up to Kurenai.

"Hello ladies," Asuma greeted them, with a polite nod for Hana that she returned dutifully.

"Don't be daft Asuma, we're just cursing misogynistic assholes."

"I... am not sure I want to know. However I heard that congratulations were in order?"

Kurenai's smile widened and she nodded happily. "You won't be able to pull rank on me anymore!"

"Well done, Jounin Yuuhi Kurenai," Shiranui Genma drawled with a smirk. "I won't even bother asking you if you're on the jounin sensei list yet. I heard you already had the paperwork filled before the Hokage even gave you your promotion."

Kurenai blushed but recovered quickly, brushing her hair away with poise. Her determination to become jounin to have a genin team was well known and she didn't hide it.

"I won't confirm or deny. But I'm not only here to celebrate my promotion, it's Hana's eighteenth birthday!"

Hana rolled her eyes at the change of subject but received the well wishes with a smile.

"Want to join us at a table, ladies?" Asuma offered. "Your next drinks are on us for the occasion."

They agreed readily and the small group went to the back, obviously familiar with the establishment. Hana sat next to Kurenai. She leaned down to greet Namiashi Raidou, pleased that at least he wasn't frowning at her (progress!). When she turned around, she was surprised to find Kakashi on her other side. He stared at her serenely, as if he had always been there, before he gave her one of his eye smile.

"Kakashi, you're late," Asuma noted casually. He waved a hand to stop his excuses. "We're paying for the ladies' drinks. It's Hana-san's birthday."

"Is that so? Happy birthday then Hana-san," he nodded at her before glancing at his new equal with a hint of mischievousness, "and Kurenai thank you for taking one team of brats out of our hands." He caught the paper umbrella she sent at his head and twirled it between his fingers.

"Thank you for saving one team from idiot men without any sense of pedagogy," Hana quipped.

The two women clinked their glasses with a conniving smile and finished their drink as a waiter came by to take their new order.

As the evening went on, Hana noticed without surprise that she was a little out of her depth. She was the youngest and the only one still being a chuunin out of the group. Still, they went out of their way to include her from time to time and make her feel welcome so she listened and drank peacefully. By her side, Kakashi rarely added to the conversation unless he was directly addressed. He even had his book open. It didn't seem to surprise anyone.

For a few minutes, Hana amused herself by observing Kurenai and Asuma. They were sitting side by side, leaning towards each other sometimes and seeming perfectly at ease. As old genin teammates, that wasn't surprising. Hana was more interested in trying to notice any sign of a budding romance. She knew her friend was hoping for one since the former member of the Twelve Guardian had come back (apparently, he had gain greater maturity and attractiveness, which… well… yeah, she was willing to believe it, he was certainly handsome).

A whiff of a familiar scent distracted her from her observation at the same time as a soft touch nudged her left side. She looked down to see one of the Haimaru brothers.

"What are you doing here, boy?" She whispered.

"Alpha has a mission at dawn. She retracts her order. You aren't allowed to drink too much. You have to make breakfast for Pup," Hai carefully explained.

Hana restrained herself from facepalming. Her mother cared a bit too much about her alleged Inuzuka tradition to get completely hammered on their eighteenth birthday.

"As if that was going to happen," she muttered.

"Coming to tell you was less work than trying to explain that to Alpha," Hai replied with a shrug.

A brief chuckle made them look up to Kakashi. With their attention on him, the jounin offered his hand to Hai, letting him nuzzle his fingers before he petted his head. "It seems like you're speaking better and better Hai."

"Dad says a clan heir's ninken have to be able to talk well to any human. I'm not allowed to speak any other way until Dad's satisfied." He added a small whine and his tail stopped wagging despite the petting.

"You're doing well," Kakashi assured him.

"He has a tendency to bark curses at people he doesn't like in the middle of his sentences. It's a little bit distracting… even if mum thinks it's hilarious, some Hyuuga obviously thought otherwise," Hana noted with a smirk. She thought it was funny too but she couldn't say so else Hai took liberties. As clan heir of a laid-back clan like the Inuzuka she had leeway but it wasn't infinite.

"I'm disappointed that I can't understand those curses," Kakashi noted.

Since he seemed interested, Hana proceeded to tell him the story of Haimaru against the Hyuuga, helped by Hai's barking at the right times and several expressive hand gestures. She was pretty pleased with herself when she heard him chuckle a few times.

As she went to drink the rest of her sake at the story's end, she was surprised to find everyone else attention on her and Kakashi.

"The dogs… hell, guys, the fucking dogs! How didn't we think of that?" Genma muttered around his senbon.

"What?" Hana asked, mystified.

Genma waved to Kakashi. "That's the more focused I've seen him in… _ever_. We tried everything and in the end… Porn and dogs. That's it, that's what makes him tick."

"Maa, Genma, maybe I'm just more interested in feminine company," Kakashi replied, suddenly hidden by the book he had put down for a few minutes.

"Yeah, no, we tried _that_ , remember?"

"Don't remind me," Raidou grumbled sourly.

Puzzled, Hana looked to her friend for some help in dealing with this and found herself under the intense observation of red eyes and a curious, analytical Sarutobi. Kurenai beamed suddenly. "Did I ever introduce you to Maito Gai, Hana? He's on a mission right now but…"

"We're out. See ya!"

Before Hana could realize that Kakashi was including her in his goodbye, the jounin had lifted her on his shoulder and shunshined out of the bar. When he stopped several streets further, she pinched his leg.

"What the hell, Kakashi-san?"

"That was for your own good Hana-san," he told her as he put her back on her feet. "You don't want to be left with them when they're in a meddlesome mood, believe me."

She glared at him with her hands on her hips. She was pretty sure she was missing some subtext here but being carried away like that was not her idea of a good exit. Kakashi seemed pretty jittery however and she felt like his friends may have pushed him a little too far so she didn't protest more.

"Fine," she sighed, "but I'm not going back home yet. It's not even midnight, if mum catches me I wouldn't hear the end of it about being too well-behaved and so on and so forth."

"Is that a recurrent problem?" He asked, amused.

"More than you think. Come on, let's go on the Hokage monument, I want to see the moon from there."

"As you wish, birthday girl."

"Damn right," she concluded, satisfied he wasn't leaving her alone.

They turned as Hai reached them and stopped with his forepaws on Hana's feet, tongue hanging out. "Kidnapping is bad. Mistress is ours," he told Kakashi.

Hana laughed softly and ruffled his fur. "Did we miss anything back there?"

"The one who is trying to kill himself with his weapon thinks it's hilarious that Silver took you with him. The one with marks on his face groaned that you haven't paid."

"Oh, that's right!" Hana quickly looked through her pockets for some bills and nudged Kakashi for him to do the same. "Bring them this please, Hai. We're going on the Hokage monument now."

"But don't tell them that," Kakashi added quickly.

"Got it!"

Left alone, Hana and Kakashi silently walked to the path leading up the cliff. As soon as they left the buildings behind them, there were no lights along the way and the moon was too faint to be reliable. Kakashi took out a lamp from his flak jacket's pockets and carefully angled it to illuminate both of their way. It was a hard path with stairs of wood, earth and stone. Going up wasn't meant to be easy: to watch over the village by the Hokages' side had to be earned. They could have reached the peak by climbing the rock but chakra control was trickier after alcohol consumption, added to that the obscurity and the complexity of the cliff's layout… there were no better recipes for accidently defacing the Hokages.

Once on the top, Hana walked to the cliff's edge, just above the Shodaime's head, and breathed in the nocturnal scent lengthily, raising her arms above her head and bathing in the moonlight. Here, it was quiet and pure. She could see Konoha's lights in the middle of the Hashimara trees. The tower was the only distinctive building. The view was worth the effort. It was humbling and calming.

Kakashi sat down against a tree and she went to join him.

"How old are you?" He asked suddenly.

"Hm? Eighteen."

He nodded and brandished his book in front of him. Hana laughed softly and leaned toward him to catch a glance of the pages. "Can you read anything?" He had turned off the lamp and the crescent moon was in front of them after all.

"Aah… No," he replied, deadpan, before shutting his book.

Hana laughed a bit more freely, shaking her head with fondness. "I can be quiet even without the excuse of reading, you know."

He tilted his head before nodding. "I know."

Quiet he wanted so quiet they were. The night was cool and Hana was glad that the red cheongsam she had chosen for her special evening had long sleeves. Though, now that she was thinking about it, she probably shouldn't have sat down on the ground with such a delicate dress. Ah, damn, she wasn't used to it. The Haimaru brothers weren't the only ones needing to work for her title of clan heir… even if, with her mother as clan head, no-one was expecting her to have manners as gracious as a Hyuuga (thank Kami for small mercies).

Thinking of them… she could hear her three ninken running along the path. Ma was the first one to reach them. He sprawled on her feet and stretched his neck for a congratulatory pat.

"Well done boy, you're still the fastest."

The other two gave up the race to play with each other until Ma yipped at them. "Come. Mistress is cold." Hai and Ru flanked her closely to warm her up.

"Silver should have warmed her. Silver's a bad mate," Ru mumbled.

Hana smacked him on the head. "What the hell, Ru?"

The ninken flattened his ears and lowered his head but none of them took back his words. Hana rolled her eyes and hoped that Kakashi would ignore it – he would have heard it, his hearing was as good as hers.

"Maa," he said, dashing her hope, "seems like it will be a common misconception."

"What do you mean?" She asked, baffled.

"I predict matchmaking attempts in the future."

"Because of what Shiranui-san said?"

He hummed in agreement. Playing with a strand of hair, Hana pondered over the situation. From what she knew, Hatake Kakashi had been in ANBU for years – it was an open secret, really, when your reputation grew and yet you were never seen in casual missions, covert was becoming more or less obvious, but as long as his codename was still a secret she supposed that no-one really care. Considering he was seen a lot more often in the village and on casual missions for two years, he had left the covert corps then. How long was he an ANBU? At least five years, probably more, maybe even ten years… it was huge. Most people died before then. For those who left the corps, coming back to a more casual life, with time for hobbies, friends and family… it had to be hard. Yes, she could see why his friends were trying to meddle. This being said, even the best intentions could be detrimental.

She remembered their conversation in January with the analogy about traumatized dogs. She couldn't help but wonder if the way he had been this evening, quiet but not alone, was in any way related to what she had advised that day. This may be a little too self-centred of her though.

"Is it something you would consider? A relationship? I mean, in general."

He snorted. "I'm not really prime boyfriend material."

She shrugged. "That's for the other half of your relationship to decide. Not everyone expect the same things from a partner. But do you want one? A partner?" Expecting him to bolt any second now, Hana wondered if it was really wise, trying to push when he was tolerating her. She might put their friendship at risk… but it was too late to back off.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because… if you don't want one, I can speak to Kurenai, she'd make the others back off."

"Kurenai loves romance."

"You wouldn't be the first to refuse companionship you know. She might not like it but she would respect that. _Everyone_ should respect that."

In the darkness, she could see his face turned toward her, his eye half closed, but he was even harder to read than usual. "One-night stands are easier."

She blinked. "Well, if you say so, but I don't think your friends are worried about your sexual needs."

"Tsk. Such a shame." He turned away.

Ah, well, she had tried. "As you wish then; you're on your own."

"Maa, I'd say you'll be the first to suffer."

"Uh? Why?"

oOo

"Hana-san, it's an honor to meet you! I'm Maito Gai, Konoha's Sublime Green Beast of Prey!"

Gaping at the sight of the man giving her a thumbs-up and a blinding smile, Hana took a step back and glanced at Kurenai, wide-eyed.

"Gai is Kakashi's best friend, even if he'll never admit it," the woman calmly explained.

"My eternal rival likes to be hip and cool! It moves me to hear he found a kindred soul for his canine passion in you, Hana-san! Your youthful friendship should be nurtured and aroused!"

Hana watched warily as Gai raised his fist to his tearing eyes. She used this small respite to mouth at Kurenai: "What the hell?!"

"Gai, tell her why we're here."

"Absolutely! Hana-san, it pains me to admit that my eternal rival has eluded me since my return. I would be extremely grateful if you and your most youthful ninken could help me to find him!"

She smirked slowly. "It would be my pleasure." The asshole had to pay for not warning her. "Haimaru, hunt!" The brothers immediately ran towards Kakashi's usual haunts to catch a trail and Gai followed them, screaming about canine youth or something of the same nature. Hands on her hips, Hana glared at Kurenai and repeated: "What the hell?"

The jounin shrugged casually. "You'd have met him sooner or later. I'm doing you a favor by channeling his energy."

"Right," Hana drawled, "a favor that entails me being dragged to see Kakashi-san from time to time."

"That's not a problem, right? You like Kakashi," Kurenai stated with a small smile.

"Uhuh. How is Asuma?" Hana asked with the same conniving little smile.

"Quite well, thank you. I'll see you later."

Hana spluttered as Kurenai dissolved in flower petals, annoyed that her friend hadn't been bothered by her question. Were they… were they finally dating? Urgh, stupid jounin trying to mess with her head!

It had been two weeks since her birthday. Kakashi had left her on the Hokage monument with a cheery "see ya" without explaining why Hana would be the first victim of his friends' matchmaking attempts. Now she could see why. Which reminded her…

She ran after the Haimaru brothers. They had stopped in front of one of the most popular onsen, far from the mixed one she tended to use. "Uh?"

Hai shrugged. "The trail stops here. Green went inside. Since he didn't came out, Silver is probably there too. Green thought it was smart because they never go there."

"Yeah and I can't strangle him in there," Hana grumbled, crossing her arms with displeasure.

She was resigning herself to leave when Kakashi suddenly came out and caught Hana by the arm, dragging her away.

"What…?"

"I left Gai with a kage bunshin. No thanks for bringing him here."

"I wouldn't have if you had warned me in advance. You shouldn't sic him on unsuspecting people, Kakashi-san. Payback was due!"

"Maa, Hana-chan, are you upset with me?"

How could he use puppy eyes with only one eye visible while dragging her along? That was completely unfair… and not very effective.

She rolled her eyes before a thought came to mind. "I'll forgive you if you help me train."

"Train?"

"I finally fulfill the medical requirements to be field medic but now I have to prove I can hold my own in a combat situation while defending any injured person in my care."

"Maa, I suppose I could help… but I won't go easy on you."

"Neither would an enemy. Well… sometimes they do when they want to capture medic-nin for their own need but I don't fancy being kidnapped and forced to heal enemies. So… just keep in mind I have a shift at the hospital tomorrow morning, I need to be in working order by then."

She did well to specify this or their session would probably have ended with her fainting instead of getting a piggyback ride to her house. Entirely spent, she barely stopped herself from faceplanting in Kakashi's silver hair, her eyes closing of their own accord. "I didn't think someone could be a worse taskmaster than mum, I'm sorry for doubting you."

He had summoned several of his own ninken too, which meant that the Haimaru brothers were just as tired as she was and limping along. Without Bull, Ru would have already fallen in the ditch a few times.

Kakashi chuckled softly. "You did well," he said simply, as stingy with compliments as Tsume was.

They reached Hana's house at the same time as Kiba came back from the Academy. Having just taken off his shoes, the boy stared wide-eyed. "Oy! What's wrong with you nee-chan?"

"Training with a jounin. It's deadly. Just wait and see when you'll be a genin. Think mum's trainings every single day," Hana mumbled. Having given up the fight against gravity, her chin was resting on Kakashi's head. His hair was thick and surprisingly soft for such a spiky hairdo.

"A jounin?" Kiba stared at Kakashi defiantly.

"Who else could take off his shoes without dropping me?" Hana mumbled. "Stop staring Kiba, it's rude. Kakashi-san, the rude one is my little brother, Kiba, and the cute one is Akamaru. Kiba, Akamaru, this is Hatake Kakashi, jounin, and somewhere behind there must be some of his summons… Bull, at least, I think."

"Yo," Kakashi said, putting his shoes away without missing a beat before walking towards the bedrooms.

"Oh, Kiba, I'll probably go to sleep right away so have some noodles for tonight if mum comes back late and feed Haimaru for me too, okay? Love you little bro." She waved (or try to) before pointing to her bedroom for Kakashi.

He let her down, barely catching her before she fell heavily and helped her to lie down on her bed.

"Thanks Kakashi-san, I appreciate it," she mumbled as her eyes closed.

"You're welcome. Sleep well, Hana-chan," he replied as he pushed away some strands of hair, the tip of his fingers brushing her skin softly.

As she quickly fell asleep, unconsciously chasing the contact, she didn't see Kiba staring from the doorway and as such she didn't realize that Kakashi was teasing her little brother.

Kakashi thought that the academy student's sputtering was quite hilarious, nearly as fun as teasing Tenzou. He shunshined away to avoid any arguments but distractedly brushed his fingers against each other, noting that Hana had really soft skin.

* * *

 _ **Tsukune** = chicken meatball most often cooked yakitori style (skewered, with sauce)  
_

 _ **Izakaya** = drinking establishment that serves food to accompany the drinks_

 _To see what a **cheongsam** looks like, I recommend googling it. It's a chinese dress but it has been seen in Naruto's world and I thought that a kimono would be too formal for an Inuzuka._

 _Thank you to all reviewers and especially to_ **andealie,** _your review was really sweet! I'm so glad you all like this._


	4. Chapter 4

_So this is a little shorter and in a different mood than the previous chapters. To be honest, it just forced itself on me: I thought I needed a Kakashi PoV before next chapter and then Kakashi ran away with his own ideas when that wasn't the plan. I hope you will like it anyway. Thank you for your support._

* * *

Some would say that Kakashi was getting better. His friends certainly seemed to be delighted that he rarely ignored their invitations anymore. It had taken them a few trials to recognize that it didn't mean he necessarily wanted to talk but they had reached an understanding.

Still, it was just as well that no-one expected radical change overnight.

The Memorial Stone was calling for him. His mission report will be late again but it was only a B level, nothing essential.

With his hands in his pockets, Kakashi made his way to the outskirts of Konoha, enjoying the morning light shining through the leaves. He stopped in the middle of the trees, far enough from the Memorial Stone that he could see it but couldn't be heard or smelt. Someone was already there, someone who he wasn't expecting at all.

Hana was kneeling in front of the stone, closely surrounded by the Haimaru brothers. Even at this distance, Kakashi could see her shoulders shaking and her ninken doing their best to comfort her.

His first impulse was to flee, let her mourn in peace and come back later – after he had written his report maybe, even if he wouldn't submit it yet, otherwise administration would demand an identity test. That's what he would have done some months ago, without hesitation. It wasn't the first time he was finding someone mourning here after all; he wasn't the only one having lost someone. Giving space to the mourners was just good manners.

Yet, somehow, he was pretty sure they had become friends recently. Now, he wasn't an expert in friendship, far from it even, but he guessed that fleeing from them when they looked like they need comfort wasn't the thing to do. Geez, things were easier when he was a lone wolf.

He walked slowly, making some noise to warn them from his approach and watching for cues that he wasn't welcome. The ninken noticed him first and tensed until they recognized him. Ru immediately ran to him (or Ma? No, he had a slit on his right ear). Kakashi crouched down to talk quietly. "What happened?" He asked while stroking the ninken's neck in greeting.

"Bad mission. Genin teammate was badly hurt. Mistress wasn't able to heal him."

He closed his eyes. The image of Obito being crushed by rocks flashed in his mind. Losing one of her first teammates qualified as a bad mission, alright. "Should I leave her alone?"

"No," Ru immediately denied, pushing him forward. "Help her."

"Maa, alright, alright." Help her. That was easier said than done. He couldn't even help himself in the same situation.

By the time he had reached her, her shoulders had stopped shaking. He had seen her trying to dry her tears when she noticed him but she didn't turn around. She was hiding behind her untied hair, sniffling quietly.

At a loss for what to do, Kakashi rubbed the back of his head. If they were in Anbu, he would have made her train, pushed her to keep her focused on their work. Anbus couldn't afford more than a quick and quiet mourning. But Hana was a chuunin; not one of his subordinates but one of his friends. What the hell was he supposed to do? To think that Sandaime-sama wanted him to be responsible of three genins when he couldn't even handle one mourning chuunin…

Minato-sensei would have known. That's it! What would he have done? … Oh. Physical contact.

Kakashi cautiously patted Hana's head. Surprised when she leaned toward him, he adjusted to stroke her hair.

Step one accomplished. Now what? Uh… Offering to listen. Yeah, that seemed good. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She shrugged, sniffled and shook her head in contradicting signals before saying with a wavering voice: "I fucked up."

Kakashi glanced at the Haimaru brothers and noticed their scowls. "Haimaru don't seem to think so."

"It was just supposed to be a test! A mission to see if I could be a field medic. I just had to heal anyone who would get hurt and I couldn't! My own genin teammate and I couldn't save him." She burst into tears.

Impulsively, Kakashi sat cross-legged on the stone floor and reached for her waist, lifting her to get her settled on his lap. He pushed her hair away from her face and stroked her cheeks. "You know that's not how it works Hana-chan," he whispered, his forehead resting against her temple. "You could be the greatest medic and there will be times you can't save someone, no matter how much he mattered to you."

"It's not fair," she whined quietly, curled up as tightly as she could in his arms.

"No… it's not," he agreed, looking up to the Memorial Stone and Obito's name.

Hana calmed down gradually. She kept her face hidden against his jacket but carefully cleaned her eyes and nose with a handkerchief before sniffling in it from time to time. She seemed so vulnerable that Kakashi was suddenly reminded of their age difference. She didn't give herself long to indulge her weakness though. A few minutes more and she seemed proper and composed again, the unflappable veterinarian and respectable clan heir.

"Do you want me to take you home?"

She shook her head. "No. Kiba and mom just want to drag me for some training to stop me from 'wallow in'. I just want some quiet."

"Yeah… I get that."

She sighed. "I knew you would." She looked to the memorial stone and shook her head. "I hate this place. Every time I come here, there are more names and I wonder if I'll see…"

"… See who?"

"My father's name. In theory, they should tell me if he dies but I haven't seen him in nearly ten years so I tend to doubt… He's somewhere on the borders, leading an outpost or another."

"Ah. One of the hermits?"

"Yeah."

The hermits were shinobi who, for a reason or another, had dedicated their entire life to their work. They rarely came back to Konoha, always volunteering for the kind of duties that shinobi usually considered as a chore: patrolling, border defense, country inspections… Most leaders of the biggest borders outposts were hermits. They lived there all year long and it suited them.

Hana sighed and rubbed her face before standing up with his help. She cleaned up the ground in front of the memorial, arranging the flowers she had brought to pay her respects before brushing the last name added to the stone: Sato Yanagi.

They stood before the memorial a little longer in silence. Kakashi finally figured that if Hana was talking about her father at least she wasn't crying about her teammate so, since he was curious, he noted: "Rumor says Tsume-san scared away your father."

She snorted. "Mom likes deception as much as any shinobi when it serves her. She even let Kiba believe it."

"Ah. I figured there was more to it."

Hana stared into space as she related: "Dad wasn't cowed down by mom's temper. He was always calm. Mom liked that. I spare you the courtship, let's just say it was quick and intense. I was born shortly before the start of the war. As soon as it started, dad joined Anbu and served in it until the end. Mom and dad celebrated. I got a little brother. Everything seemed perfect for a while. Then Kyuubi fucking shows up and makes a mess. Dad started to drink."

Kakashi closed his eyes. He could guess where this was going. How many times had he heard something similar?

"I was nearly nine when, one night, I left my bed to go to the bathroom and stumble on my dad in the hallway coming back from a bar…" Her voice wavered.

"Were you hurt?"

She nodded slowly. "A kunai in the abdomen. Haimaru defended me and they were sent flying with crushed bones. That's when mom woke up." She stroked her ninken's head absent-mindedly. "She kicked him out after that but he never tried to change her mind. Kiba was three. He slept through the night – he's such a heavy sleeper – and he only saw dad leave. He thinks its mom's fault because dad never tried to reach out since. He only sends gifts for the New Year, that's how we know he's still alive."

"Do you hate him for it?"

"No. He was a great dad once. I always loved him but…" She rubbed her cheek. "I was terrified of him at the time. Even before that night, he was scaring me… And now… now I'm scared I won't see him again before he dies and I'll just keep that night as my last memory of him."

Kakashi moved to put an arm around her waist. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"You could write to him," he suggested.

"I… could," she agreed, frowning thoughtfully before looking up at him. "What about you? Whose names are you coming for?"

"There are too many," Kakashi replied. Still, he leaned towards the stone and brushed Obito's name, closing his eyes and sending a small thought: "Sorry Obito. I'll come back later to talk. You'd probably kick my ass if I didn't take care of someone in need anyway, wouldn't you?" He straightened up. "Come on Hana-chan, you look like a breeze could knock you down."

oOo

So, this mission report? It wasn't getting done anytime soon.

If someone asked, Kakashi would be hard-pressed to explain why he had let Hana in when few people knew his address and even fewer had come in. Pity, maybe? No. Pity was a quite rare feeling for him. Sympathy was more like it.

Sitting on his bed with his back to the headboard, he watched his guest with a half-closed eye. Hana was coming back from the bathroom, looking refreshed but still unusually vulnerable. The sweater too big for her that she was wearing might have something to do with it. Her bare feet didn't make any noise on the ground as she walked to the bed and crawled to his side.

He had his legs stretched out in front of him and she snuggled to his side, lying down with her head on his pillow, close to his hip. As soon as she was settled, the Haimaru brothers followed, stretching around her.

"Thanks Kakashi-san," she murmured, "for the sweater and everything."

"Don't mention it," he muttered, raising his book to his face. Sure, it wasn't every day he was allowing someone to stay on his bed and cuddle against him in his clothes but there was a first time for everything… and it was easier if he didn't overthink it.

Hana fell asleep quickly. A bit too quickly considering it wasn't even midday yet.

"Nightmares?" He asked.

"Yes," Hai confirmed. "She didn't sleep much."

"How bad was it?"

"Yanagi fell in a trap. One of his arms was severed. It took too much time to reach him. He had lost too much blood. She was covered in it. There was nothing she could do. Trying would have made it harder for him. She had to let him go. I think that's what eats away at her… that she was powerless."

"Yeah… Isn't that the worst feeling?" Kakashi muttered, eyes unfocused.

Hana shivered slightly against him and her ninken moved to cover her bare legs and feet. Fatigue had caught up to her and the light clothes she was always wearing (a tank top and shorts) weren't enough to warm her. Distractedly, Kakashi adjusted the sweater to cover her shoulder and went back to his book.

One hour later, Hana suddenly whined, snuggled closer and squeezed his leg, immediately pulling Kakashi away from his reading. "Maa, Hana-chan, it's fine," he murmured, stroking her hair softly to appease her (and get her to release him, ouch, she had a strong grip).

"'Kashi?" she mumbled sleepily against the fabric of his pants.

"Yeah. It's over Hana-chan. Come on, it's time for lunch."

She raised herself on her elbows and blinked at him owlishly. "I can cook."

"You're in my home Hana-chan, it wouldn't do to make you cook."

"You put up with me and my pathetic state, let me cook to pay you back," she said stubbornly as she sat up.

Kakashi scratched the back of his neck and sighed. Resistance was futile. "I don't have many ingredients."

"Do you have eggs?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Then I'll make omurice. Is that ok?"

"Sure…" He hadn't eaten omurice since Kushina died. It was the kind of dishes she liked to make to mess with him, by drawing smiley faces on it with tomato sauce.

Hana didn't draw smileys. She drew dogs.

Kakashi tilted his head and stared at his plate.

Hana chuckled and rubbed her nose, embarrassed. "Sorry, it's an habit. I always make them like this for Kiba."

"That's cruel. I won't eat a cat."

She kicked his leg lightly. "I know you're messing with me. I'm not _that_ bad. It's clearly not a cat!"

The Haimaru brothers, busy with making a dent in Kakashi's dog food stock, made some amused noises and ignored their mistress' glare.

They ate in silence. By now, Kakashi trusted her to keep her eyes down, which was quite baffling: there were few people who didn't try, at least from time to time, to catch sight of his face. And he wasn't an idiot, he knew she was interested in him. It felt like he was missing something, some ulterior motive maybe and he didn't like it.

"Why don't you peek, Hana-chan?" Since they were friends, he asked bluntly.

"Uh? Oh. Well, you didn't peek at me in the onsen, did you?"

"Mh… No, that's not it. You started before that."

"Does it matter?"

"Yes. Tell me."

She blushed and looked away. "I want you to show me."

"Uh?"

"If I see your face, I want it to be your choice." She shrugged. "That's all." She stood suddenly to wash their plates and Kakashi momentarily forget that she was his guest, too busy pondering her answer. He guessed it made sense. Unlike Jiraiya-sama, he had a similar policy towards women's body.

He looked up and groaned. "Hana-chan, you're making me look like a bad host."

"I don't need a host. I need a friend and you're a very good one. Say… Can I stay a little longer?"

He stared at her, unimpressed. "Ah, I see, you're buttering me up."

She grinned slightly. "Is it working? I will make tea."

"Fine," he sighed. Her wavering smile wasn't fooling him. She probably didn't feel ready to face her family or anyone else yet. He could understand that.

They sat on the couch. Hana was curled up with her head on his shoulder, holding her cup of tea as if the warmth of it could chase away pain and grief. Ru was lying by her side with his head on her knees. The two other brothers were playing some kind of game by the open window. It seemed to involve guessing the identity of the passers-by without seeing them.

After staring into space for a while, Hana focused on his book and read alongside him.

"Maa, Hana-chan, your mother would be upset with me if she learns you read this."

She snorted. "Mom reads it. She just hides it in her room to keep it away from Kiba. She would probably give me a very detailed and unwelcomed opinion of it if I did to."

It wasn't common that women admit to read _Icha icha_ but he shouldn't be surprised. Tsume had some similarities with Anko, who wasn't shy either about what she thought of the books.

"Want to read it?" He held out the first volume of the series to her. He had just finished it for the umpteenth time and was starting the second volume.

"Well… it doesn't look too badly written," she admitted, shrugging and taking him up on the offer.

Reading together was a familiar pastime of them by now but Kakashi was amused to note that Hana wasn't as relaxed as she used to be. Hiding a smirk behind his mask, he waited patiently.

It took an hour before she stood up brusquely. "I should probably go. Can I borrow this?"

"Sure. Keep it safe though."

"Promise. Thanks for everything Kakashi-san. Bye!"

Kakashi waited until the door closed before raising two fingers in a victory sign. "Chapter twelve. I knew you wouldn't dare read it here," he chuckled, shaking his head fondly. Ah, he loved messing with his juniors. In any case, she seemed to feel better. Good. She was strong and resilient. Shinobi may falter but they always endure. Furthermore, Icha Icha would help: it did for him and Hana seemed open-minded enough to enjoy it without prejudice. Jiraiya-sama would be proud of him for comforting and converting a lady in one move.

Now, he should probably go back to the Memorial Stone.

Mission report? Oh yeah, he will write it tomorrow.


	5. Chapter 5

Nearly one month had passed since her birthday and yet Hana felt like it had been ages ago. Still, she was coming back from the Hokage tower with her chin up and that was better than what she had felt for several weeks now.

"I heard that the second time's the charm?" Kakashi jumped from a roof to walk by her side. He bent down to pat the Haimaru brothers' heads, unbothered by the fact that they crowded around him until they were happy with their greeting.

She smiled slightly. "Yes. It's official, I'm a field medic."

"Congratulations. I thought you'd have waited longer before trying again though."

She shook her head. "The jounin in charge of the first mission told me I should get another chance, that it was just… bad luck. He gave me a new opportunity and I thought if I didn't take it… well… I might have overthink it."

Kakashi nodded, understanding easily the subtext, like he always did. As civilians liked to say, sometimes you had to quickly get back on the horse after a fall or fear to never try again.

"It went well then?"

"Yeah. It was a rescue mission, no combat, immobilizing wounds only, nothing I couldn't handle."

"Then where does this come from?" He asked, brushing a finger against her jaw and the bruise blossoming there.

"Oh, that. It's from this morning. I was challenged."

"Challenged?"

"For my clan heir title." Realizing he would have no idea what she was talking about, she explained: "I receive the title as daughter of the clan head but an Alpha has to prove he or she's worthy of it. Even if no-one really wants my place, it's customary that they test me."

"Who was it?"

"A cousin of my mom. Hige."

"Hige? He's a jounin!"

"Yeah. He's the best fighter of the clan." At Kakashi's baffled stare, she added: "Oh, don't worry, he went easy on me. He didn't want to win, he just wanted to prove a point to the rest of the clan, something like: see, I'm the best and I don't win so there's no way you will. It's how he shows his support. By letting me win, he accepts me as clan heir and says he'll follow my lead as Alpha. It means that if anyone else challenges me, he'll take it as a personal challenge and kick their asses for me. In conclusion, now I should be left alone." She rubbed her shoulder. "He could have chosen a better time though," she grumbled.

"I heard worse politics I guess," Kakashi admitted.

Hana chuckled. "Now, no need to use big words. Politics and Inuzuka are supposed to be incompatible. Some Hyuuga's head will explode if you mention it. They still think we resolve everything by clubbing each other on the head."

Kakashi hummed and glanced at her bruise. "So, you're keeping that as a victory mark?"

"Not really. I'm just exhausted. I used what chakra I had to heal the boys." Her ninken whined and she patted them gently. "It's fine, it's just a few bruises and aches. I'll heal them after lunch." She looked up at her friend with a hopeful smile. "Do you want to join me?"

"Sure."

They went to a barbecue restaurant, Yakiniku Q. As they passed by a table near a window, Hana was surprised to see Asuma sitting with the Akimichi, Nara and Yamanaka clans' heads. She waved at him.

"I didn't know that Asuma-san was friend with the Ino-Shika-Cho trio," she noted as she sat down on a pillow, wincing when she stretched a few bruised muscles.

Kakashi snorted. "He's not. He'll be their children's sensei."

"Oh!" Surprised, she looked back and noticed their body language. Indeed, Asuma didn't seem as relaxed as he wanted to pretend. He wasn't smoking but his fingers were twitching toward the pocket hiding his packet of cigarettes. "Wait. Does this mean you know who you'll have too?" She realized.

"Yes. As for your brother, from what I heard, he's in Kurenai's team." He was patting Ru's head since the dog had chosen to lay down next to him. Ma was on their other side and Hai stretched behind Hana's back, used as a chair back and bodyguard all at once. As a veteran, Kakashi had taken the seat with his back to the wall. It was one of the unwritten rules of courtesy between shinobi.

Hana brightened. Even if Kurenai wouldn't have been her first choice (for her sake: Kiba was going to test her patience), she was glad to learn that her brother will be in capable and trusted hands. She paused to order their food before asking: "And your team?"

Kakashi took a file out of his flak jacket and handed it over. Curious, Hana leafed through it, her eyebrows rising at the last two papers. Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto. Was it really surprising that two of the most notorious kids were put under the famous Kakashi of the Sharingan's tutelage? Not really, she mused.

"I see," she murmured before taking a better look at their stats. Sasuke's stats were pretty good, with a good balance between physical abilities and smarts. Naruto seemed to be all physical and the girl all book smarts. It was a well-balanced team, on paper.

Their meal arrived and Hana gave the file back. She had to focus on feeding her companions, checking the pieces of meat before giving the first slice at Hai, the second at Ma and the third at Ru, in order of age and dominance. Let them chew, checked they didn't make a mess and repeated three times. Once the dogs were satisfied, they closed their eyes to nap and Hana could take care of her own meal. Kakashi had patiently waited for her and she smiled at him gratefully. They arranged some meat on the grill at the center of the table and waited for it to cook.

"I know a little about them, Naruto-kun mainly. Kiba and he have some sort of friendship, the excessively manly kind where they show fondness by insulting each other." She rolled her eyes but stayed on topic. "They're similar in several ways. As such I can tell you that the Uchiha is an – I quote – 'arrogant bastard' and that Naruto and he hate each other."

Kakashi sighed heavily. "Great."

Hana hummed and turned her meat over. "It will be hell for teamwork. Do you expect to fail them too?"

"Hokage-sama don't think I will."

"He doesn't _think_?" She repeated, stressing the word to make sure she wasn't missing an insinuation hiding an order.

"Aah. He's hoping for the best."

"Well. That's big expectations. You have a reputation."

"Do I?"

"Sure. I was curious to know who could be my brother's sensei. I made inquiries. The Academy senseis have a lot to say about you."

"Maa. I just know what I want."

"I know you do." She teased with a soft smirk.

"By the way, Hana-chan," Kakashi said in a low and seductive voice, "did you progress in your reading?"

Hana blushed slightly as his voice reminded her of the most risqué scenes of _Icha Icha Paradise_. "I don't have it with me but I finished it. I'll give it back soon," she promised before quickly eating a few pieces of meat to have a break in the conversation.

Kakashi surprisingly allowed it, though she could feel him radiating smugness. Instead, the next thing he said a few moments later came from nowhere: "I like your hair."

She was so surprised that she blushed (again! Was he doing it on purpose?) before smiling softly. "Thanks." Her training with Kakashi had reminded her that her long ponytail was an easy grip for an enemy. She had changed it for a mix of braids and flat low bun that was perfectly combat friendly. It took much more time to do in the morning though, so she wouldn't bother with it when she was sure she won't be called in a mission.

The beef slice she was reaching for disappeared before she could touch it. She huffed.

"So, what did you think of Icha Icha?" He insisted.

"It's like I thought, not bad but could be better."

"How so?"

"Well, it's obviously written by a man and it's stereotyped. I like the writting style, the details about the universe, the action and the traveling though. The humor isn't always bad either."

"What about…"

"Don't."

"Maa, are you embarrassed Hana-chan? It's just us," he said, not even bothering to pretend he wasn't talking about the sex scenes.

"Anyone could be listening and you know it. I'm not talking about this here."

"Does this mean you would talk about it if we were alone?" He teased.

She glared at him and pointedly skewered some bacon with her chopsticks. Instead of intimidating Kakashi it made him laugh.

"I hate you," she mumbled between her mouthfuls.

"Uhuh, if you say so Hana-chan."

They ate in silence for a few minutes until the grill was empty. Once she was done, Hana checked her annoying friend's plate before looking up. He was petting Ru absent-mindedly again.

"Is something bothering you, Kakashi-san?"

The jounin hummed and took his time before answering: "Training you was easy. You're dedicated, you know your objectives, your values, your strengths and your weaknesses. I was only helping you reach your potential. I already did that before… somewhat."

It took a few moments for Hana to realize he was probably referring to ANBU. With such a long service in the corps, he had most certainly reached the captain level and, as such, supervised some rookies' training. If that's what he was basing himself on, she was quite proud to have performed to his satisfaction.

"But genins, they're…" He trailed off.

"… like pups?" She offered. He blinked owlishly at her and she chuckled before adding: "Aren't they? You're comparing them to soldiers when that's what you have to make them become. Just like when we were trusted with pups," at that, she stroke Ma's fur, "and we helped them become the ninken they're now."

Kakashi stared at Ru thoughtfully. "Teaching them like pups," he mumbled, "I could… do that."

Hana shrugged. "It seems to work for Kiba but then we're Inuzuka."

"What about you?"

"Well, mum likes to joke that I was born self-sufficient. She trained me of course but when she was busy I just needed a book, a scroll or some instructions and she could let me be."

"I was like that too." Kakashi admitted before sighing. "Ah well, we'll see, they may not pass anyway."

"You will tell me all about it at Kurenai's birthday party, right?"

"Oh, yeah, it's the day after, isn't it? Mh… I guess I will then." He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "In the meantime, I think I was supposed to meet Gai hours ago."

Hana groaned. "Really? I'm so glad we always meet by chance."

"We do, don't we?" He said with an amused tone and stood up. As he stepped around the table, his hand went to ruffle her hair but she moved to protect her braids and glared in a silent reminder to watch the hairdo for Kami's sake! His eye crinkled in a smile and he bent down instead, catching her unaware when he kissed her forehead. "See you at Kurenai's party."

"Wha–" When she turned around, he had already left. "–the hell?" The Haimaru brothers were silently mocking her but she didn't even bother to tell them off. She was too flustered. How was she supposed to take that? She was fine being friends with Kakashi but did this mean he might be interested in more? He had never answered her about his interest for a romantic relationship after all… "Argh, stupid Kakashi," she muttered.

As she turned around to check the amount of money he had left on the table, she made eye contact with Yamanaka Inoichi. Asuma had left and the Nara and Akimichi were focused on their meal but their friend had a knowing glint in his eyes that let her know he had seen everything. She smiled at him politely, willing herself to appear calm. She counted it as a victory when she didn't blush.

Damn Kakashi!

oOo

Two days later, Hana showed up early to Kurenai's birthday party. She had promised her friend that, unless she had a mission, she will help her with the food. It seemed that she didn't trust many of her friends to prepare anything edible.

They used their time alone to speak about Team 8. The day before, Kiba had informed her that they had easily passed their sensei's test and that he was going to become chuunin in no time, like a boss. Hana had smothered him in a hug and proceeded to show him that he was far from her level yet since he couldn't escape a simple hold. Ah, she loved to tackle-hug him.

Hana gave her friend some tips to deal with her brother: "I know this isn't your style but trust me, he'll get on your nerves at one time or another and when that happens throw something at his head. Until he learns to dodge it, he's wired to shut up and cower."

"Really? That's the Inuzuka education?" Kurenai mocked gently.

"Don't ditch it if it works!"

Kurenai told her more about Aburame Shino and Hyuuga Hinata whom she hadn't met yet. "They're quiet which, I guess, balance the team. Shino knows how to speak for himself though, which isn't Hinata's case at all."

"Hyuuga are so weird. I can't believe what a jerk Hiashi can be with his own daughter. And we're supposed to be the barbaric ones," Hana grumbled. "I'm sure she'll do great with you as a sensei, though."

"I hope so," Kurenai admitted. "Anyway, all things considered, I'm pleased with my team. It could be worse. Kakashi's team looks like a disaster waiting to happen."

Hana snorted as she put away some mocha. "Yeah, he told me a bit about them."

"Did he now?" Kurenai had a strange glint in her eyes.

"Oh, nothing much, mostly their names," Hana said elusively.

Kurenai hummed. "As for Asuma, he was complaining about the girl in his team, Yamanaka Ino, though he seems thrilled with the Nara boy's intelligence."

"Oh and, about Asuma, are you finally dating then?"

"What about you and Kakashi?"

Hana rolled her eyes, knowing what her friend was trying to do but, to be perfectly honest, she was probably the only person she could talk about it freely. "Well…"

Kurenai perked up immediately. "Yes?"

"He kissed me on the forehead," she blurted out quickly.

"What?! When?"

Hana explained roughly the circumstances and Kurenai took her time to think about it as she kneaded some paste longer than necessary. "He's interested," she concluded very seriously.

"You think?" Hana squeaked despite her best effort to say calm.

"Kakashi isn't… He isn't comfortable with touching. Even with some of his kouhai, women or not, the most I ever seen him do is patting their hair or their shoulder. He's also too wary to lead you on."

"Alright," Hana murmured. She was thinking back to the day he had found her at the Memorial Stone. He had touched her a lot that day. It wasn't much, taking her on his lap to comfort her and letting her snuggle against him or lean against him but, if what Kurenai said was true and she was willing to believe it, it was still out of character for him. "I can deal with that. Thanks Kurenai, I thought I was imagining things there for a while."

Her sempai smiled at her gently. "I'm glad you're getting along so well you know. He's a loner and his past made him bitter and cold. I hope that, with his new team and you, he'll be getting better. He's a good man… when he tries and keeps the cynicism away and the laziness and the lateness…and the porn…"

Hana laughed at the mutters of her friend but she didn't let herself be distracted. "So… Asuma?"

Kurenai smiled softly. "We are together."

"Yay! I knew it!"

"But we keep it quiet! You know… private. So, this stays between us."

Hana nodded seriously. "Promise."

There wasn't time to talk more in details. Asuma and Gai arrived with the sake and started a competition when they were asked to cut ingredients in strips and dices.

o

"Gai was extremely disappointed you weren't there to be challenged in cutting sushi ingredients," Hana announced an hour later, when Kakashi arrived while the party was in full swing.

"Maa, I'm sorry to have missed that."

"I don't doubt it," she laughed before leading him to the table holding the temaki ingredients.

With his hands firmly in his pockets, Kakashi barely glanced at the food before looking at her with his One Puppy Eye. "Make it for me?"

"I don't know what you like."

"I'm not picky."

"Alright…" She took a sheet of pre-cut nori, put rice on the middle of it and carefully picked a balanced mix of fish (she chose mackerel on a whim) and vegetables before folding it in a cone. "There, you lazy man."

His grin was visible through his mask. "Thanks. I told you, I prefer food when it isn't done by me."

She laughed softly. "Yes, I remember but don't be mad at me if it isn't to your tastes."

"It is. I like mackerel."

She was called before she could reply and she excused herself to help their hostess. Ten minutes later, she was handing over a bowl of amanatto to Genma's greedy clutches when a shiver went up her spine.

"Hana-chaan, I'm hungry," was whispered in her ear.

"Oh Kami… really, Kakashi?" She startled and turned around, temporarily forgetting suffixes. "You aren't going to eat unless I do it for you?"

"Nope," he replied cheerfully.

"You're ridiculous." And yet, she asked if he wanted the same and went to make him a temaki with mackerel and another mix of vegetables. She was glad she had let the Haimaru brothers at home (they didn't like this kind of party, not enough space for them), they would have mocked her for days after. "So, I heard you passed your team."

"They showed some promise," he admitted.

"You're a sensei now, how does it feel?"

He looked at her with a wide, desperate eye and drawled: "Terrible."

She laughed so much that she had to put a hand on his arm to find her balance. "Aren't you a drama queen?! I'm sure you'll be fine Kakashi. Remember, they're just puppies."

"Puppies can bite and make your life hell," Kakashi mumbled.

"Yeah, but they're so cute we forgive them."

"Uhuh. Well, my cute little students promise to be a handful. The boys I can handle but…"

"What's the problem with… Haruno Sakura, is it?"

"She's dieting, shirking physical training, fangirling over Sasuke and beating up Naruto."

"Wow," Hana said while rolling her eyes, "any quality to compensate that list?"

"She's smart and she knows how to study. I could give her a scroll and let her learn but for training she has none of your drive." He looked at her with a pleading eye.

"No."

"Hana-chan," he whined.

"Oh geez, fine, fine! Bring her by the clinic and I'll talk to her."

"I knew I could count on you Hana-chan." Back to a casual tone and slouch, Kakashi eye-smiled at her.

"Yeah, yeah," she mumbled, knowing that she had been had. "I don't know what you expect though, I'm not a counselor."

"You're a woman who knows how to deal with children and is smart enough to be respected by Sakura. You'll do great."

She shook her head. "If you say so."

She spent the rest of the evening by Kakashi's side, not necessarily alone (Gai stuck to his rival with determination) and not really by conscious choice, but just because she was feeling comfortable where she was. And if that somewhere happened to be closer to Kakashi than she was used to, well… no one said a word about it. In fact, after how her own birthday had ended, Hana was expecting more teasing, from Genma especially, but he simply grinned at her while nibbling at his treats.

It was near one in the morning when Kakashi turned to her without looking away from his book. "Should I see you home?"

Hana stifled a yawn and glanced to the kitchen where Asuma was helping Kurenai to put the scraps in the fridge.

"They can handle it. Come on," Kakashi insisted, standing up and waving to the thinning crowd. "See you later everyone." He barely listened to the responding farewell before pulling her to the door with one hand on her hip.

The cold of the night got Hana to shiver in her short sleeves flowery cheongsam. Consequently, she didn't even think before putting her arm around Kakashi's to leech some of his warmth. The jounin's only concession to the casual setting had been to leave his shinobi vest at home: like most of the shinobi present that evening, he was wearing the long sleeves navy shirt and pants uniform. With his hands in his pockets, he was at ease and didn't seem bothered by the attractive limpet clinging to him.

Hana hid a yawn behind her hand once again before saying: "By the way, I forgot to say: I hate you."

"Why?"

"When you left Yakiniku Q, Inoichi-san saw what you did and since then every time I cross paths with the Ino-Shika-Cho trio they're looking at me strangely."

"Are they?"

She shifted to look at him and suddenly twisted her feet on a stone.

Kakashi adjusted and steadied her, holding her against his chest. "Maa, someone drank a little too much tonight?" He teased.

She groaned. He was right, which was stupid of her. She hated being drunk but she had felt so comfortable tonight that she hadn't been as careful as she should have. Thankfully, it was nothing more than a little sprain: she rubbed her ankle for a minute and the pain went away. "Sorry," she muttered anyway because that was embarrassing.

"Believe me, I've seen shinobi do worse after too much sake. Why, I seem to remember your mother during a festival…"

Hana hastily covered his mouth through the mask. "Don't. I don't want to know." She already had some embarrassing ideas.

He laughed at her silently, the lanterns' light reflecting in his eye with a mischievous shine. He gently moved her hand away and added: "It involved Shibi-san I believe…"

Hana groaned and covered her ears. "You're so mean." But instead of walking away, she hid her face against his shirt, which made him laugh. "Mean."

"Yes, drunk, definitely. Let's get you home." He lifted her with one arm around her back and one under her knees.

"I can walk! I'm just a little tipsy." She protested, quickly putting her arms around his neck to lessen her weight.

"But in which state would you arrive home?" He mocked her.

" _So_ mean," she grumbled. "If someone sees us, I'll say you're training for a competition with Gai and then have fun when he'll hear about it."

"Uhuh, but then I'll tell him it's only fair if you're the one being lifted in both cases and you'll be seen being carried by both of us around town."

"Urgh, I hate you," she mumbled as she pictured this.

Thankfully they weren't far from the Inuzuka compound and, apart from a few drowsy dogs who went back to sleep as soon as they recognized her scent, no-one saw them.

"I still hate you but thanks anyway," she mumbled when he put her down to let her take off her shoes.

"You're hurting my feelings Hana-chan," he said with his Puppy Eye.

She stretched out her arms to catch him by the back of his neck and kissed his covered cheek. "There, all better." She went to move back but an arm around her waist stopped her. Before she could register what was going to happen, her lips were covered softly by a butterfly kiss. "Good night Hana-chan," he murmured before leaving suddenly.

In the darkness of the hallway, Hana brushed her lips with her fingers, dazed by the event. Her eyes widened suddenly. "He took off his mask!" It was definitely skin she had felt and not fabric. "He took off his mask and I didn't see anything," she whined.

Damn Kakashi!

"He could have at least let me kiss back," she mumbled as she walked into her bedroom as silently as possible (temporarily forgetting that if she want to be quiet she shouldn't think aloud). She sat at her dressing table next to the window and quickly removed her makeup before freeing her hair. As she turned around to undress, she heard the window open and smelt him.

"Ka–?" Before she could finished his name, she ended up on the floor, covered and warmed by his body, entirely focused on the lips playing with hers and the nose brushing hers and the hand sliding from her chin to her ear…

His breath caressed her cheek when he moved back despite her whine of protestation. "I think I'm a little drunk too," he admitted honestly. "I couldn't walk away without memorizing your taste."

"Are you going to regret it tomorrow?" She asked worriedly as she observed the few details she could see of his face in the darkness (was it a beauty mark under the corner of his lips? She wasn't sure).

"That I sneaked into your bedroom? Probably. The rest? Nope."

"Good. I'll forgive you for sneaking in if you kiss me again."

"Yes Ma'am."

With her arms around his neck, Hana forget herself in the moment. Contrary to the first, this kiss was slow and languid. They were exploring each other and indulging their thirst of intimacy. They were breathing in synch with their hands pressed against the other's body without urgency.

Kakashi was nuzzling her neck while they caught their breath when they tensed at the same time. "Tomorrow," he promised in her ear before disappearing swiftly.

Hana hurried to stand up and did her best to appear unmoved when her bedroom's door opened to reveal her mom in her sleep clothes. Tsume squinted at her and sniffed blatantly, then walked to the open window and sniffed again. When she turned around she was smirking and she patted Hana's shoulder. "My little girl is growing up! Mama is proud!"

Hana groaned. "Mooom."

Tsume laughed as quietly as she could since her son was still sleeping and hugged Hana with one arm to kiss her hair. "Love you too kiddo."


	6. Chapter 6

Hidden behind his precious _Icha Icha_ , Kakashi was keeping watch over his cute little genins while they accomplished their first mission. Though it was amusing at first, he had turned out their whining after ten minutes. He hoped they will wise up quickly or he will have to develop selective hearing.

He was currently planning their training for the next day and it was more work than he had thought. Should he put them through another chase? No, not so soon after the first one; they wouldn't have had time to progress and they already cursed him enough as it was.

Too bad. It had been fun watching his ninken do all the work for him; pouncing on an unguarded back, grabbing a leg in mid-chase, surprising the genin even when they were hidden in a tree…

It had certainly brightened his morning and distracted him from his _other_ problem.

With a heavy-lidded eye, Kakashi glanced over his book. Sakura was shouting at Naruto and fawning over Sasuke… again. That was becoming annoying. She was way worse than Rin. Actually, they weren't comparable: Rin had never behaved this way and with so little interest for training. Kakashi had absolutely no idea how to deal with it. His only tactic with women like her was to elude them at all costs. Avoidance was a perfectly reasonable solution… at least when they weren't your students. In this case, Hana was his best chance (he had considered Kurenai but she already had her hands full).

And since he was thinking about Hana…

He adjusted his unstable position on top of the stone wall to glance at the veterinary clinic's window on the other side (it was quite convenient that their client lived next to the Inuzuka compound and he denied any personal interest in his choice of mission). He could see Hana tending to a cat in the backroom. Considering that she was wearing a ponytail instead of her complex battle hairdo, she was probably off the on-call roster.

After last night, Kakashi had no idea about what to do. Everything had evolved so smoothly until then. Whatever happened was always on impulse. It was uncomplicated and he liked it as such. He had more or less decided that yes, he liked her and he wouldn't be opposed to having her in bed. She was pretty, she wasn't annoying and he trusted her. The three conditions he had for having sex with someone were met. The problem was that before this, it had always been just that: sex. His partners – women or men – were nothing more than colleagues. The only friend he had been with was Genma and they had both known without a word needed that nothing would come out of it, nothing more than comfort and a relief of post-mission stress. Hana though… Hana wanted more and that… terrified him… a little.

So why the hell did he kissed her? Good question. That definitely wasn't planned. Damn alcohol. No, that was too easy: he might have been slightly tipsy but he never ever drank enough to cloud his judgement. Let's be honest. The first time had been on impulse. He could have stopped there and waited the morning to give her his excuses and explain it was the alcohol talking (or he could have just pretended he had forgotten the event but that was really the doing of an asshole and he would have hit himself afterwards if she hadn't). She would have been disappointed, maybe a little hurt, but she would have let him get away with it because she was nice and understanding like that.

But no! He had to go back and sneak in her room. He was an idiot. Maybe… maybe Naruto's idiocy was catching? That was scary but maybe more reasonable than the alternative. He had heard her mumbling to herself and he had found it so cute (cute? really Kakashi? he was getting soft) that he had stayed to listen. When she had talked about kissing him back, he had wanted that, wanted to know what she tasted like and how she would reacted to his touch. For a few moments, nothing else had mattered.

He had liked the result.

But he dreaded the consequences. He had changed the status quo and he wasn't comfortable with what was waiting for him.

So… he went back to reading.

From what he gathered from his students' whining, they were done with two-thirds of the gardening when Kakashi found himself with some company. Hai appeared swiftly. The jounin had barely heard him ran across the courtyard and on the wall. He had already noticed when they trained together that the Haimaru brothers were some of the fastest ninkens he had met.

"Hana says you should come down instead of lurking. She promises she won't slit your throat if you regret yesterday," Hai relayed without bothering with a greeting. His tail was agitated and he barely glanced at the genins below. "She didn't make us promise the same though."

Kakashi glanced above his book. "Fair enough I suppose," he murmured. "Watch over the kids for me?"

"I hate babysitting duty," he answered before barking. One of his brothers came out of the clinic, climbed the wall and lay down by his side. Kakashi recognized Ru, the most sociable of the brothers and nodded at him in thanks.

"Woah!" Naruto shouted below them. "Not dogs again!"

"Ru will watch over you. I will be next door. Behave my cute little genins!" Kakashi ordered before allowing himself to fall from the wall. He put his book away for safekeeping.

Hai landed beside him and walked along. "Another thing: Alpha didn't recognize your scent last night but she's sniffing every male she comes across. It won't be long before she identifies you."

With a resigned groan, Kakashi beat himself up once again for sneaking in Hana's bedroom. It had been years since he had done something so stupid – mostly because it had been years since he did something _impulsive_.

He pushed open the back door of the clinic and let the dog go first as he observed Hana. She was taking longer than she needed to wash her hands and glanced at him uncertainly from the corner of her eyes.

Kakashi had no idea where to start. So he stood with a hip against a cupboard and didn't say a word.

Hana gave in first. "Look, it's fine Kakashi-san, I get it," she sighed, "we were both drunk and you didn't mean anything by it. Just say the word and we will pretend nothing happened."

Like he had thought, she was really too nice for her sake. And for putting her in this situation, he was probably an asshole. Kakashi peeled himself off the furniture and moved to cage Hana between his arms and the sink. He was slouching to compensate the bold move. He wanted her attention, not her uneasiness, and body language could help him to convey what he couldn't in words. He _wanted_ to be close to her, he was just shitty at showing it. "That's not it," he promised.

She turned around and blinked at him warily. "Then why are you so hesitant? Is it mom? Because…"

He interrupted her by kissing the corner of her lips and nuzzling the nearest clan mark. He was leaning heavily on the sink with one hand while the other was resting on her hip. "Do you remember what we talked about at your birthday, on the Hokage monument?" He asked, hoping she would connect the dots herself and spare him having to explain his feelings. She was mercifully good at it.

She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts despite his closeness. "Yeah, mh… I asked you if you want a romantic relationship with someone or not and you said that you prefer one-night stands."

"They're easier. In fact, there are the only kinds of 'relationship' I ever had."

"Oh. So… you… what do you want?" She asked, clearly confused by the matter.

"You."

She huffed and chuckled. "You're so _not_ helping." She had relaxed somewhat though and was looking at him with more fondness than exasperation.

He took it as a good sign. "Maa. I told you, I would be a horrible boyfriend."

"But would you like to _try_?" She tilted her head, looking up at him without any coyness, with all the frank openness of an Inuzuka.

He straightened but her hand on the small of his back stopped him from stepping back. Her fingers slid under his flak jacket and her thumb rubbed comforting circles against his shirt. She kissed his cheek, unbothered by the mask.

"I take that as a no."

"Han–"

"Hush. It's fine," she affirmed calmly. "I have no interest in pushing you too fast and having a catastrophic relationship as a result. Let's find a middle ground." She waited expectantly for his approbation and he nodded. Obviously she was very determined to do this right. "Alright so… I never had a one-night stand and I don't think I could do it with you." She blushed slightly and mumbled: "I would get too possessive."

He smirked under his mask and his voice had some humor as he said to comfort her: "I want more than one night."

She sighed in relief. "Then… hum… we can be… friends with benefits? That's how it's called, isn't it?"

"Would you be satisfied with that?" He asked, doubtful.

"I have no idea," she admitted honestly, "but I'm willing to try… on a few conditions."

"Go on."

"We're exclusive."

"Of course."

"And, if you ever realize you would like a more stable relationship or, on the contrary, that you will never want one, you tell me right away."

He nodded. "I promise."

"Ok, then… that's a deal." She nodded very seriously.

In this instant, Kakashi couldn't help to find her irresistible. She was cute with her determined expression but she was above all glorious, having taken in stride all his doubts and flaws, and found an appropriate solution without judgement or demands. In the light of this discussion, Kakashi's fears that he would make a mess of their friendship seemed ridiculous… She valued his companionship more than any romantic pursuance or her personal feelings and she clearly wouldn't have allowed him to break their friendship for nothing short than a betrayal.

Kakashi lowered his mask and leaned down to brush their lips together. As they enjoyed small kisses, Hana's hands came up and stroke his jaw softly. He chuckled. "Was the wait worth it?"

"Of course." She kissed his beauty mark and nuzzled his cheek. "I feel very satisfied that I know one more of your secrets without any cheating."

A bark coming from outdoors interrupted them. The Haimaru brothers had stayed quiet and out of sight while they talked. However, their third member was coming back with the genins in tow.

Kakashi adjusted his mask and moved away. "Do you have time to talk to Sakura?" He asked, hopeful.

"I can try."

"That's all I ask. I won't be able to see you tonight. Come tomorrow evening?"

She nodded as the door opened.

"Sensei! We're done! The old man said it was okay!" Naruto yelled.

"Only because I corrected your mistakes, Naruto-baka!" Sakura shouted while punching him on the head.

Kakashi glanced at Ru for confirmation and thanked him with a hand sign. "Alright, team. This is Inuzuka Hana, clan heir, field medic and veterinarian…"

"Kiba's sister!" Naruto exclaimed while pointing at her.

Hana, blessed her heart, took Naruto's rudeness in stride. "Hello to you too Naruto-kun. Didn't you recognize Haimaru?"

"Hehehe… no," Naruto admitted as he rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry!" He added quickly when the dogs whined.

"It's fine, it has been a while after all," Hana replied calmly as she walked to him and adjusted his clothing to wipe the dirt clinging to the jumpsuit. "Congratulations for graduating."

"Thanks," Naruto said, strangely subdued as he put up with Hana's fussing over him, wide-eyed. Kakashi realized he wasn't used to someone caring and helping about his appearance. Hana on the other hand was obviously doing it absent-mindedly, probably used to taking care of her brother in the same way and not thinking twice about it.

"And you too, Sasuke-kun, Sakura-chan. Congratulations for passing Kakashi-san's test."

Sakura thanked her very politely but Sasuke simply grunted. Reminding himself to be lenient, Kakashi rubbed his brow instead of smacking the back of the kid's head. "Manners, Sasuke."

Sasuke glowered and grumbled an unconvincing "thanks".

Holding back a sigh, Kakashi let it go. "Anyway, Sasuke, Naruto, we have to report to the mission desk. Sakura, you stay, Hana-chan has to talk to you. Join us afterwards at the training ground." They left quickly, leaving behind a confused Sakura and a Hana rubbing her temples.

He will owe her for this.

oOo

An hour later, Sakura walked into the training ground as the boys were sparing. Kakashi was talking with Pakkun while watching but quieted down to observe his kunoichi student. She seemed thoughtful, which was a good sign. Her hair was tied in a braid. That was also an improvement. "Everything alright, Sakura-chan? You stayed longer than I expected."

Sakura sat down by his side, barely glancing at Sasuke, which was another very good sign. "Sensei."

"Yeah?"

"I think I want to become a medic-nin."

Kakashi did a double take. "Is that so?"

"Yes. Hana-san is… She's inspiring. She checked my chakra control and she said I could become a good medic…" She quieted down, encircling her legs with her arms. "It could be something I'm really good at, something that could help and that the boys can't do. Is that true, sensei?"

"Ahah," Kakashi agreed, "Medic-nin are important specialists. They can make a big difference in a mission and for Konoha in general. If Hana-chan says you could be good then I don't doubt it. The boys certainly don't have the chakra control for it. It's a lot of work though, Sakura-chan."

"Hana-san said so. She gave me a list of books I should read before asking for personal training." Sakura unfold a paper and Kakashi sweat-dropped at the length and the numbers of titles. Sakura didn't seemed put out by it, rather determined. Book smarts all the way that girl. "I think I will do it," she announced with more confidence.

"Well, I can't help you much with it but I suppose I can pull a few strings for you, if you're decided," Kakashi offered.

"I am." She nodded. "Thank you sensei!"

"Ah, you're welcome… Now go and separate the boys, you're against Naruto next."

"Yes sensei!" She stood up and dove in the fray without hesitation, hauling Naruto by the back of his jacket and pinching Sasuke to get him to release the blond.

"By all the Kages," Kakashi mumbled, "I have no idea what they talked about but I owe Hana-chan big time."

"Yep. I told you that you should marry her," Pakkun reminded him as he patted his knee.

"I just might at this rate." It was humor but he probably would do it if he wasn't terrified by the prospect.

"What?" Pakkun jumped on his flak jacket to get face to face. "I missed something. What is it? Tell me, tell me. Ooh, you smell like her. Why does your face smell like her? Did you rub against each other? Did you kiss?"

"Pakkun, since when are you such a curious gossip?"

"Shut up, this is big. We are emotionally invested in your mating habits if they can lead to a bigger pack. I have to share with the others. Tell me."

"Since you're bugging me about it… no."

"Fine. I know exactly who will tell me _everything_." Pakkun leaped on the ground and walked away. "Don't hate me if I get some cuddle time with your female while I catch up with the triplets."

"No more treats for you Pakkun!"

"That's fine, Hana will give me some because she likes me!"

oOo

The day after, in the evening, Hana reached his flat (alone, no ninken in tow) as he opened the door with his arms full of groceries. She helped him to put everything away and made conversation: "How is your team?"

"Whining and cursing my name."

She burst out laughing. "As it should be then? What did you do? Put them through a parkour?"

"Nah. I let loose the pack on them yesterday morning. They're not over it yet." The parkour was a good idea though. He will have to check if training ground twenty-one was free anytime soon.

Wide-eyed, Hana tried to repress a grin. "You didn't…"

"I did. It's a good stealth training method."

She chuckled. "As if stealth would help them against ninken at their level."

"Maa, you would be surprised. Naruto handled it well."

"I would ask if you're pulling my leg considering what he wears but I suppose he has to be at least decent with all the pranks he pulled."

"Aah," Kakashi agreed. In ANBU, he had rarely been in charge of finding Naruto after one of his prank but he had heard a lot about it – and cheerfully mocked those who were overwhelmed by a kid, like his little kouhai, Tenzou. "He covered his scent by rolling in the mud."

She hummed and nodded while closing the fridge's door. "He's not afraid to get dirty, unlike the others two."

"About the others…" Kakashi caught her by the waist and held her close. "Are you a miracle-worker, by any chance?"

"What do you mean?"

"I left a slacking fangirl with you yesterday and you sent me back a budding medic-nin. What's the miracle recipe?"

Hana shrugged. "She was easy to talk to, really, easier than I thought in fact. She's smart and she showed interest for my field work right away. I think she would have found her vocation naturally, sooner or later."

"So you just saved me from weeks or even months of torment," he pointed out. "Can I send you Sasuke to get a perfect teamworker?"

"Ah! As if. That rude little prick will need more than a pep talk." She sighed, closed her eyes and let her head fall on his shoulder. "Frankly, I don't feel comfortable with him. He always smells so…"

"So?" He prompted her, curious to have her expert opinion. He had noticed too the heavy scent clinging to his student, but he wasn't as good as an Inuzuka to identify some of the more subtle pheromones. The feral clan's members were born and raised with their ability, it was part of their way of life. Kakashi had trained his for work and never used his enhanced nose on his everyday life, it was too distracting.

"I don't know… gloomy and angry at the same time. To me, it's quite depressing. To Kiba, it's irritating." She shook her head. "When I think that I used to find his brother's scent soothing…"

Kakashi frowned. "You knew Itachi?"

She watched him with half-closed eyes. "We're the same age. We were in the same class for one month until he was moved up the grades. I liked to bother him from time to time. I liked him, period." She shook her head again and shrugged in a 'What can you do' manner.

She wasn't the only one to have been fooled. Kakashi had been Itachi's first ANBU captain and yet he had never seen his treason coming. It wasn't a subject he liked either and he nodded in a silent understanding.

"I bought takeover for dinner, want any?" He asked instead.

"Can I have some yakitori?" she asked eagerly. She had probably smelled it as soon as she was close enough.

He chuckled. "I didn't buy them for me." Inuzuka were predictable: their favorite foods were always some kind of meat. Though Hana had proven she wasn't a picky eater, you couldn't go wrong by buying meat for her.

She went up on her tip-toes to kiss his cheek. "Thanks."

Kakashi's apartment wasn't big and well-furnished. He had never needed much. Two rooms and a small bathroom were quite sufficient. He had his privacy and all he needed within easy reach. He had rarely any company since all his friends knew he hated it when they forced themselves in and Hana was the first person he had willingly brought in (he pleaded temporary insanity, tears were disarming).

The last time she had stayed, she had refused to be more than two steps away from him. As he quickly noticed, the fact was that, even when she wasn't in need of comfort, there wasn't much space to be far from each other anyway. His living room was composed of a coffee table and a two-seater couch after all.

Hana was sitting on her end of the couch, respecting his personal space and musing on one of his questions. "I can't be Sakura's iryou-nin sensei, I don't have the seniority and experience for it. I could be her senpai though. That's all she needs for learning theory and bases which would take several months to a year. Unless you're a member of a clan with a senior medic-nin willing to apprentice you, like me with my aunt, you have to prove your worth that way. Everyone will learn I have a kouhai sooner or later and will ask me about her. If she does well I might convince a few friends to be her senpais too and then senior medic-nin will become interested in her. Sometimes, the more you wait and the better the sensei since the best are demanding."

"I see," Kakashi hummed, "What could I do to help her?"

"Ask her to keep you posted about what she learns and try providing her with opportunities for practical applications. I should warn you though: she might realize something is off about Naruto-kun."

"How?"

"His healing rate is not human. It's so obvious that she's bound to ask questions."

Kakashi hummed and nodded. "I'll keep it in mind." He finished his miso soup and didn't bother with putting back his mask. "I owe you."

She shrugged and threw her skewers in the box. "It's not like I'm on high demand for a sponsorship. Most people don't have high expectations for an Inuzuka medic. If she does well, it will help me too."

"And if she doesn't it might make things harder for you."

"I guess. It's a gamble to take responsibility for someone, isn't it?" She brushed aside the matter with a wave. "I have to get used to it I suppose." She smiled to him softly. "And some gambles are worth it."

"Uhuh. I still owe you."

She laughed. "Fine, I'm sure you'll find a way to pay me back."

"I'll find something," he agreed before catching her hand to pull her on his lap. They kissed softly. Kakashi could feel her nervousness even if she hid it well and he was perfectly aware this wasn't one of his usual one-night stand where things were intense but messy and hurried.

She gave his jacket a tug, bothered by the pockets digging in their chests and he paused to take it off. "Can I?" She asked then while touching his headband. He nodded, keeping his left eye carefully closed as she took the fabric away. She leaned down to kiss anew with their forehead touching but when she pulled away she was biting her bottom lip to keep herself from laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Your hair." She brushed it with her fingers. "I didn't realize the headband give it their lopsided shape." She played with the strands, shaping them as she wanted. "I like it."

"You would be one of the first," he grumbled. He didn't really like his hair. He had his share of the grey hair jokes. People were so unimaginative. He could feel her creating weirder and weirder shapes and he reached for her wrists to stop her. His hair tended to stay easily in the shapes it was given, no need to show up tomorrow with something silly and end up losing the little respect his students had for him.

"Sorry," she apologized before kissing his forehead.

He nuzzled her neck to distract her and nipped at the soft skin to retaliate. The way she startled wasn't only due to him though. They both turned to the window to investigate the small knocks. A bird was waiting on the windowsill and they both cursed.

Hana stood up to investigate. "Medical emergency rescue. It's for me," she sighed. "Sorry Kakashi. Rain check?"

"Of course. Good luck." He pecked her lips before she disappeared by the window, rushing to get her ninken and her gear before meeting with her team.

Kakashi scratched his jaw. "Whenever you want Pakkun."

The pug jumped from his hiding place and walked in through the window.

"Spying, really, boy?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I just came back from the errand you wanted me to do, saw that bird and masterfully controlled my urges to eat it by staying away."

"Of course. So, you didn't see anything that you'll share with the Haimaru brothers as soon as they are back, like the gossips you have become."

"Nope. No idea what you're talking about."

Rolling his eyes, Kakashi turned around to clean his coffee table.

"I don't think your hair is that funny. It just looks like a mop." The little runt dodged the box thrown at his head and disappeared in smoke.

oOo

Three days later, Kakashi was passing by the jounin station when someone rushed by his side and blocked his path.

"You!"

He looked up from his book to glance lazily at Inuzuka Tsume (while internally praying for a merciful death). "Me?"

The clan head squinted at him and leaned forward to sniff blatantly. "Yes, you. Kuromaru?"

Her ninken sighed and rubbed his only ear with his hind leg. "I told you to leave me out of this."

"I know you know! Your kids can't keep a secret from you! Which is totally unfair, Hana don't keep secrets from me either! Much… Usually…"

"She keeps lots of things from you because the girl is smart. Anyway, don't you trust your own senses?"

"I do." Tsume nodded, completely ignoring the rest of what her companion said. She stared at Kakashi and pointed. "It's you!"

"Me?" Kakashi repeated, choosing to play clueless. Shinobi and kunoichi were loitering around, pretending not to pay attention or not even bothering with the pretense and staring curiously – Genma was one of those.

Tsume huffed and crossed her arms, staring longer in complete silence, until she admitted reluctantly: "Well, I suppose that she has good taste…"

"She got that from her father," Kuromaru quipped.

"Obviously," Tsume quipped back.

There were so many innuendos in this few words that Kakashi wisely chose not to dwell on it. He also kept quiet, hoping that she would be satisfied with her confirmation and let him be if he didn't dig his own grave. He was quite surprised when it worked.

"You will do," she announced with an imperious nod before leaving as brusquely as she had appeared.

Genma immediately rushed at Kakashi's side to poke him in the arm. "Man, for a moment I thought you had screwed up and you were going to end up as dog food."

"Maa, so little faith, Genma."

"Just realist. If you need tips, you know where to find me."

"I do." Kakashi thanked his friend with a nod for the sincere offer, glad that he wasn't prying.

* * *

 _Thank you for your support everyone! Someone asked for more of the awesome mom so here she is with Kuromaru this time (I like him) and there should be more of her in next chapter. I hope the progression of Hana/Kakashi's relationship pleases you, it seems coherent to me that way. =)_


	7. Chapter 7

_First of all, please note that this chapter raises the **rating to M for heavy petting** (nothing explicit though, I'm not good at it). Secondly, I'm not actually very pleased with this chapter, I had to rewrite some parts several times because it felt too OOC (too much fluff for Kakashi) so it left me a bit frustrated. Let me know what you think of it!_

* * *

Hana's mission had taken much longer than anyone had planned. When they had reached the team requesting help in the Land of Rivers, they had found half of the team struck by a heavy fever and the other half well on their way to the same state. It had taken days to find the source of the illness and the appropriate cure. In the meantime, Hana had struggled to keep them stable, losing sleep as she monitored them. Then, while they were recovering, some missing-nins, smelling weakness, had come to bother them, severely injuring one member of Hana's team.

In short, those two weeks had been long and tiring. Hana left the hospital and made her way home, determined to enjoy her two days off to the best of her ability. A nap, lots of food, a trip to the onsen (even if the weather was quite hot, her shoulders ached) and maybe kissing Kakashi if he was around. That was the plan.

It did not in any way included dealing with arguing genins in front of her compound's door. Why the hell the three rookie teams were gathered there, she had no idea but Kiba and Naruto's loud arguing combined with Sakura and a Yamanaka's high-pitched barbs did not mesh well with her headache and sleep deprivation. Since the three senseis and the rest of their teams, Hinata excluded (the poor girl didn't seem to know what to do, poking her forefingers together, wide-eyed), didn't do anything to stop the fucking _noise_ , they were on her shit list, out of principle. They noticed her first, of course, and although the jounins took note of her weary state, they all wisely stayed out of her way.

She reached the girls first. Sakura stopped immediately and blushed under her stare while the Yamanaka only followed suit, looking at her with bossiness. Hana stepped between them to reach the boys.

"Kiba." The way he froze was quite funny, she admitted.

"Nee-chan!" He smiled at her uneasily. "Uh… Welcome back?"

"Is that what you call it?" She drawled with her hands on her hips. "You have five seconds to give me a valid explanation to your behavior."

"He insulted Akamaru!"

"I didn't!" Naruto protested. "I only said that if the dogs were all like Akamaru, our mission would be easy!"

Hana pinched her brother to stop him from shouting back. "Your explanation is unsatisfactory. Put Akamaru down."

"Hana," he whined but obeyed. Akamaru wisely went to hide behind Hinata.

"Start to run." With a snap of his mistress' fingers, Ma ran after the genin, happy to stretch his legs in a game of chase. The triplets weren't as exhausted as Hana, they had only been on watch and able to relay each other to get enough rest. Luckily for Kiba, he looked perfectly rested as well, he even seemed to be a little faster than she remembered. "Naruto."

"Y-yes?" The blond took a step back, glancing warily at the two others dogs looking at him.

"You're here for the weekly kennel mission, correct?"

"Y-yeah!"

"Good. You'll be in charge of the biggest dog, his name is Zou and he doesn't like children screaming. Do you know what it means?"

"Uh… no?"

"It means that if you shout at him he will make your life a living hell," she explained with a charming smile. "So, whatever you do, keep your voice down, ok?" She patted him on the head while he slouched dejectedly. "Sakura," she called before the girl had been able to hide behind the Akimichi boy.

"Eep! Yes, senpai? I'm sorry, senpai!" The genin straightened then bowed. "Please don't sic a dog on me! I didn't mean to scream but Ino-pig said I was getting fat!"

"So you insulted her?" Hana rubbed her nose, annoyed by the logic of a pre-teen. "What would have been an appropriate answer?"

Sakura shifted with her hands behind her back. "Uh… That it's not fat, it's muscles, which is important for a kunoichi as we need to be able to defend ourselves and our comrades and no good kunoichi should ever end up being a damsel in distress because of an inappropriate diet. A large intake of calories is important as long as it's included in a balanced nutrition and a good training regimen." The girl gained in assurance as she recited the speech Hana had given her in their one-to-one discussion.

"That's the long answer, yes. The short one was 'fuck off'," Hana grumbled, ignoring the two girls' gaping. "I'm going to sleep," she concluded, leaving them all behind without bothering to learn why they were around or any other niceties.

In her room, Hana took off her uniform and lay down with Ru by her side, leaving Hai to wander, find some food and catch up with what they had missed. She fell asleep.

Twenty minutes later, one of her ninken licked her hand to wake her up. They were the best alarm clock ever.

Hana groaned, rolled on her side and buried her hands and face in Ru's fur, relishing the familiar and soothing sent. "What time is it?"

"Nearly three. Alpha made tea."

Hana staggered on her feet and splashed some water on her face before grabbing a purple yukata that she secured with a simple belt. She brushed her fingers through her hair to tame it before stepping on the patio.

Her mother was sitting in front of the garden next to a tea set but she wasn't alone. Hana immediately tried to kick Ru for 'forgetting' that detail. Kakashi was sitting on the other side of the tray, Hai lounging next to him. They were watching Team Seven as the genins tried to control the dogs they had freed from the kennel. Ma was running around, playing with a pup.

"Hana. You look like hell," Tsume noted.

"Thanks mom," the chuunin grumbled. She wasn't self-conscious: she knew that she was good-looking and after a long mission it was only natural that she wasn't at her best. Unless she had severely misjudged him, Kakashi would understand. As such, she sat down on a pillow in front of the tea set without minding his stare. She was more worried about the fact that her mother obviously knew who she was seeing. She wondered if she had missed something horribly embarrassing while she was away. Did she even want to know? At least, Kakashi was looking at her with the same casualness than usual. If he wasn't avoiding her, it couldn't have been that bad.

"Don't fret, girl, I like your boyfriend well enough," Tsume announced while offering her a cup of tea.

Hana groaned. "Mom, he isn't…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You are casual and I should stop embarrassing you." Tsume knew intimately about casual relationships since they were the only kind she had since she chased away her husband. Although she had been surprised when her daughter had confessed having such a relationship when she had pestered her about her boyfriend, she accepted it easily. For now anyway, because she wasn't dense enough to believe that this was her daughter's wish. The Inuzuka's clan head rolled her eyes. "You're no fun… unless someone stands between you and your sleep, of course." Tsume smirked devilishly. "Putting Zou with the blond kid was brilliant! We're having so much fun."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Hana mumbled, rubbing her forehead.

"Look!" Tsume pointed at Zou, an old Tibetan Mastiff, fierce-looking but laid-back unless annoyed. He was nearly reaching Naruto's shoulder, or he would have if he wasn't sitting on him and licking him all over the face. "It's priceless!"

"Naruto took your advice seriously," Kakashi explained, seeing her confused expression. "He went to great length to not shout."

"It was hilarious," Tsume insisted, "I never thought it was possible to murmur that way. He made the funniest noises by screaming in a low voice. So much so that Zou obviously decided that he was an idiot, a simple-minded that he had to take care of. He has been treating him like a baby. It's hilarious!" She repeated, hitting her knee in her mirth.

"Mom, you always have way too much fun watching the genins struggle with the dogs," Hana remarked with a shake of her head.

"Hush. Don't ruin my fun. It's good for them. It builds character." The goal was rather to get them acquainted with the ninken and how to work with them but the free entertainment for her was just as important.

Hana chose to ignore her mom's sadistic tendency and downed another cup of tea before eating some snacks left on a platter. "Did I miss anything interesting while I was away?"

"Nah, not much, but what happened in your mission? Your date of return was always pushed back."

As she told the story, Hana lounged with Ru as her pillow, her feet tucked under her. She could see a young akita running around Sasuke, wrapping the leash around him while he was distracted. Sakura was currently holding a pup as far away from her as she could – there was probably some pee involved.

"Well, you have earned some cuddle time with your _casual_ boyfriend," Tsume concluded as she stood up. "I will handle this, Hatake."

"Mom," Hana groaned out of principle but she was too tired to do much else and she waited eagerly for Tsume to be out of hearing range. "Tell me she didn't embarrass you publicly or something," she begged Kakashi, raising pleading eyes at him.

He chuckled behind his book. "It wasn't too bad."

"She behaved," Kuromaru agreed, as he passed by with a runaway pup between his paws.

"Thanks Kami," Hana sighed. "And how is your team?"

"They're progressing," Kakashi said. "Whenever I turn around, Sakura has a new scroll or book in hands and I think she respects you more than me." He added a little whining to his last words.

Hana snorted. "I suppose your laid-back attitude doesn't mesh well with everyone."

He hummed. "On the other hand, I have a pack of ninken trying to plan our life together. They're trying to play match-maker of the wedding kind and they're bad at it. Expect the triplets to soon be swept up in their evil plans."

She held back a giggle. "Really?"

"Unfortunately. See. Your pack isn't the worst one."

To that she laughed freely and kissed Ru's muzzle. "They're not _bad_. Just… exhausting."

"That's a nice word. I would say bothersome."

"Annoying."

"Troublesome."

Ru yipped and tried to bite them playfully in retaliation. Hana laughed and rubbed their faces together. "Yes, we are troublesome too. Humans are far too much complicated, aren't they?"

Ru nodded very seriously. Kakashi eye-smiled. "Fair enough, I suppose."

They enjoyed a few minutes in silent company until Hana decided to move instead of falling asleep again and screwing up her sleep schedule. She stretched her tired muscles. "I have the next two days off. Do you have time to see each other?"

Kakashi hummed and tapped his book against his chin. "Tomorrow night?"

"Okay. See you then. I'm going to soak up at the onsen." She stood up and whistled to call back all her ninkens.

oOo

"Asuma wants to know if you prefer flowers or food as a thank you gift."

"What?" Hana did a double take at Kakashi. They were eating on his couch, like the day she had to leave in a rush for the rescue mission, but his question came from nowhere. For a second, she entertained the idea that it was a roundabout way to ask if she liked flowers but that didn't fit their casual relationship's unwritten guidelines.

"He wants to thank you for changing Ino's mind about dieting and pushing her to take interest in basic iryou-ninjutsu."

"What?" She repeated, baffled. "The Yamanaka girl? I didn't spoke a word to her."

"Yeah, I think it was mostly Sakura's devotion to your words of wisdom that did the trick," he explained with a wave of his chopsticks, "but since you're responsible for Sakura's changes, by extent you're too for the Yamanaka. So, flowers or food? Asuma is kind of stubborn about gifts when he is determined to get one."

"I like both… but it has been a long time since I got flowers, I suppose…"

"I'll tell him."

"Wait, is she really interested in iryou-ninjutsu?"

"She asked her father for clan's help. The girls have a fierce competition going on. It's quite funny when it's _not_ about Sasuke."

"Uh… whatever works for them, I suppose," Hana murmured, still surprised that she had converted two genins without really trying. The hospital director would be so proud: even if the girl only completed basic training, it was still a step toward the goal to have one healer in each team (the dream of Tsunade-sama was a worthy objective that the director still pursued).

"It makes our life easier. Sasuke even seemed to relax a tiny little bit since Sakura doesn't fawn over him as much anymore."

"Well, I tried to convince her he wasn't good enough for her altogether but no luck," Hana noted, disappointed.

Kakashi swallowed his noodles while squinting at her. "I can't tell if you're serious or not."

She grinned. "Awesome. I'm trying to improve my poker face. I lost way too many card games during my last mission. Raidou-san is _so_ good and it's annoying."

Kakashi nodded. "He's my best opponent at poker nights."

"Anyway, it probably only worked because it's a half-truth. I wanted her to understand she shouldn't care about that boy's opinion so much but well…" She shrugged. "That was a losing battle." She waved the subject away and leaned forward. "How do you manage to bluff? Is it the mask? I often know when someone is lying, because of their scent, but I'm so bad at bluffing," she grumbled.

"Bluffing is not and will never be an Inuzuka's forte," he remarked, "you all wear your emotions on your face."

"But I don't want to lose to him anymore! He's so annoying!" She whined, catching Kakashi by his shirt and hiding her face in it in frustration. She could feel him chuckle.

"I take it you're not getting along better?"

"No, it's better, he's not glaring at me anymore, but now I'm pretty sure he's staying all stone-faced because he knows it annoys me!"

"Maa, it's not impossible," Kakashi admitted, amused, "but that's just mostly how he is. I never saw him smile on a mission, only on leave."

Hana groaned. "And he said we'll likely be together often for rescue missions because he's one of the most experienced bodyguard specialist which means he's automatically paired with the least experienced field medic. It sucks!"

The jounin openly laughed at her while patting her head. "There, there. He isn't _so_ bad."

Hana adjusted her posture to sit beside him, facing him with her arms around his neck. "Well, I think that bodyguard duty isn't his only specialty. He looks more like an ANBU assassin to me." She knew she screwed up when his fingers tightened slightly on her hip.

"Is that such a bad thing?"

She tilted her head to better see his poker face. It was just as perfect as Raidou's and, from her memories, as good as her father's too. Years ago, when she had been mature enough to understand what being an ANBU meant, she had told herself she should stayed far away from it and from its members. Her father and Itachi had proven to her that it was just bad news. But here she was, falling in love with an ex-ANBU and becoming the subordinate of another one. As mature as she had thought to be five years ago, she realized now that it was probably naïve to think that all the blame laid on the organization. People were a sum of layers. ANBU members had probably one more than any other shinobi but Kakashi had allowed her to glance at what laid under his and she wanted more. She wanted to learn about her father too, she realized, and she wanted the opportunity to see in Namiashi Raidou the man that Kakashi respected and liked. "No," she concluded, "it's not."

Kakashi smiled. Not one of his eye-smile, the only kind easily noticeable ordinary, but a small rise of the corner of his lips. He probably had read all her thoughts process on her face.

Hana let her head fall on his shoulder with a sigh. "I won't ever play poker with you and Raidou. Never, ever."

"Never say never," Kakashi replied with a smirk before kissing her cheek and lifting her across his lap. He kissed her collarbone, slowly inching down as he nuzzled the soft skin.

Hana's breath caught in her throat as the mood changed and she became acutely aware of every point of contact between his skin and hers. He was holding her close and she felt secure where she was, blanketed in his warmth. She didn't felt the same nervousness that had plagued her the first time she had come to his apartment, unsure of what she should expect in their new relationship.

Burrowing her hands in his hair, she rubbed his scalp gently and went down to the back of his neck in slow circles, getting a pleased groan in return. Kakashi left her cleavage to catch her lips.

In the middle of their kisses, Hana felt slightly uncomfortable, turned as she was in his hold and offered with a hint of uncertainty: "Bed?"

Instead of replying, he nipped the tip of her nose gently and helped her to stand up. She was going to lead the way to his room but he pulled her back to straddle his hips. The position was highly intimate, leaving them chest to chest and eye to eye.

"Don't rush." He cupped her jaw with one hand and kissed her nose. "I'm not in a hurry." He kissed the corner of her lips. "And it's not only about what _I_ 'm not comfortable with. Middle ground, remember?"

She smiled softly, touched by his thoughtfulness. "Yeah." She stroked the soft skin of his neck. "But we can take off a layer, right?"

He laughed. "We can." In fact, he removed two layers: his usual dark blue shirt and the skin-tight tank top attached to his mask. A bare-chested Kakashi was a sight to behold. For an ex-ANBU, he had relatively few scars, which was probably a proof of his skills. He was lean with a body adapted to speed more than strength, but every muscle was well defined. Hana could have reviewed her anatomy lessons thanks to him. He had also a paler skin tone than she, which wasn't very surprising considering he was always covered. Only his arms seemed slightly tanned.

Her contemplation was interrupted by a tug on her tank top and she took it off without a thought, leaving her in her black sports bra. While she was at it, she untied her hair and let it fall freely on her shoulders. As Kakashi played with it, she stroked his abs, his sides and his back to come back to his biceps.

They kissed languorously and made out unhurried. By now, Hana was reduced to a pile of goo wrapped around a warm and solid tree. She felt so comfortable that she hummed and closed her eyes as she nuzzled his neck.

"You are falling asleep on me, aren't you?"

She straightened. "I'm not!"

"Uhuh." With a sparkling eye and a smile, he poked her nose with a finger. "Your eyes are closing. You should have taken more time to rest."

Any protest was pointless after she stifled a yawn.

"Maa, you do wonder for my vanity, Hana-chan. Am I so boring?" Thankfully, Kakashi was taking it with humor by teasing her.

It didn't stop her from blushing and apologizing as she hid her face however. Way to make a good impression on your friend with benefits with whom you didn't really reach all the benefits yet – because you're falling asleep – but whom you want to be more than that… Yeah, way to go Hana, she thought.

He brushed her hair and patted the top of her head. "Come on, let's get you to bed."

"Oh, no, we can go on, Kakashi, I–" A finger on her lips stopped her, followed by a quick kiss.

"There is no rush," he reminded her.

He convinced her to get ready for bed, letting her used a spare toothbrush and anything she needed in his bathroom. She would have thought this was beyond the friends with benefits relationship but then, maybe not, after all friends had sleepover. It was probably only wishful thinking to wonder if Kakashi was taking this more seriously than she thought. She just wasn't used at all to this hybrid of a relationship, which led her to being afraid of overstepping unknown boundaries and apparently taking this too seriously. As she rinsed her mouth, she concluded she should follow Kakashi's lead and stop overthinking this.

She walked into the bedroom in her underwear and smiled at his appreciative once-over. While he took his turn in the bathroom, she burrowed under the covers and inhaled his comforting scent. By the time he was back, she was already dozing and simply hummed as he brushed her hair away from her face.

oOo

Kakashi's apartment had a few defaults. The small size of his bed was definitely one. Though she wasn't complaining that they had to spoon, they were lucky that none of them were a messy sleeper. As it is, unused to each other proximity, they woke each other several times. Each time, without realizing they were doing it, they sniffed and nuzzled each other to check that everything was alright before falling asleep again.

Once, Hana woke up to smell the lingering acrid odor of fear, so subtle that it had to be left by a nightmare. Kakashi's breath seemed even, though. She pressed her hand against the one he kept on her belly and he shifted slightly, confirming he was awake. Hana turned around to press all her body against his and nuzzled his neck in a silent reassurance that he was here with her, away from any night terror. He kissed her forehead in thanks.

In the morning, Hana woke up to find herself snuggled to Kakashi like a koala. The slow petting of her hair told her there was no way she could hide this from him, so she didn't bother to be embarrassed. "Morning," she mumbled.

"Good morning." Lying on his back with a hand behind his head to better see her, Kakashi looked at her serenely.

Hana rubbed her face against his collarbone as she hid a little more under the cover to protect herself from the sunlight coming from under the curtains. "How long until you have to leave to train your team?"

"In theory, one hour, but they know better by now."

Ignoring the reference to his bad habit (that she had the luck to never have experienced yet), Hana raised her head and gave him a sultry smile. "Then…would you like a good excuse to stay in bed?"

"Maa, they never like my excuses…" His breath hitched when Hana straightened on her elbows, showing off her cleavage and brushing their pelvis together. "… but this one wouldn't be appropriate for young ears anyway." He brought her closer for a kiss. "Are you sure?" He asked against her lips.

"Very much so."

Any trace of drowsiness disappeared as they got naked… and sticky.

Kakashi was a very thorough and active lover, far from his usually lazy attitude. He was also talkative: teasing her until she stopped overthinking everything she did and growled at him while digging her short nails along his back. The way he reacted and smirked at her convinced her she didn't need to hold back. She parted her lips to nip at his ear, neck and shoulders with sharp teeth until she found the sensitive spots and licked them teasingly.

"I knew you were holding back but I wasn't imagining a leech," Kakashi noted afterwards with humor, hiding a hickey under his shirts.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh hush, you were looking for it."

He chuckled and caught her by the waist before she could put her tank top on. "Why the hesitation?"

She shrugged. "My first boyfriend didn't like it much when I was too… aggressive."

He snorted. "You call that aggressive?"

"He did."

He caught her chin to kiss her. "Don't hold back for me. I can take it."

"'Kay," she mumbled against his lips. "Do you want to see each other tonight?"

"Sure."

"Great. Tell Sakura she should passed by the clinic when she has some time, to review her progress."

"Will do."

oOo

"Sensei! You're late!"

"Maa, sorry kids, but my shower was too small this morning."

"Uh?!"


	8. Chapter 8

The Haimaru brothers were playing in front of the clinic's back door when Kakashi dropped from the roof to land in a crouch beside them. "Hello boys." He greeted them with a few pats. "Can I interrupt in there? I'm in a hurry."

"Sure thing," Hai agreed, "just stay away from the devilish cat in the cage, he took ages to go to sleep and his whining is horrible. Even Ru agrees."

"Got it." Kakashi went in and scanned the room for the aforementioned feline. The cage was in the far corner with a cloth on top to dim the light. By listening carefully, he was able to hear a light regular breathing. The way was clear. "Yo," he called at Hana. She had her back turned to him while she sterilized her tools.

"Kakashi! Hello." She looked over her shoulder and smiled softly. "Can I help you with something?"

He rarely interrupted her at work unless he needed her healing talents. For their personal relationship, they always saw each other at his apartment (and to agree to a date, a couple of hand signs when they crossed paths was enough). In fact, they were supposed to spend their night together, which was why he was here: to cancel. "I'm going on a C mission with the kids."

"I see. Thanks for telling me. How long will you be gone?" She asked peacefully as she dried her hands. She was a kunoichi, daughter of a kunoichi, canceled plans were part of her daily life.

"A week at most, it's an escorting mission to Wave."

"Their first big one, right?" At his answering nod, she smirked. "Good luck with that. I still remember my first time out of Konoha. We gave our sensei grey hair." She stopped and glanced at his gravity defying hair. "Well…"

Kakashi immediately raised a finger to still her lips. "Not another word."

She giggled at his playful glare and caught his hand to hold it and kiss it. "Good luck. Keep them whole."

"Will do." He kissed her forehead and lingered for a true kiss when she tilted her head in a silent request. She was wearing lipstick, the light kind that kunoichi mainly used as a balm but that could also be poisonous. He knew for a fact that Hana had trained her immunity to use one, not as an offense, as some seduction specialists did, but as a defense against sexual assaults. When she had explained this to him the first time that he had tried to kiss her as she came back from a mission with this exact kind of lipstick on, it had been the first time that Kakashi had heard of it. Apparently, it was one of those secrets that they learned about in kunoichi lessons. Now, he knew that if she tasted like strawberry, everything was fine but if she tasted like cherry he will end up slightly paralyzed. Furthermore, he had discovered this just by her explanation and not by feeling its effects which he appreciated: a lot of kunoichi wouldn't have bothered to stop him, thinking it's funny to let him realize his mistakes on his own.

After a last kiss on her strawberry lips, Kakashi adjusted his backpack and left.

oOo

As he woke up with the well-known symptoms of chakra exhaustion, Kakashi's first thought was to ask Hana for a massage as soon as possible. What a pity that he will have to wait for it for days.

"Hatake-san?"

He tensed at the presence of an unknown woman at the door. She stayed at a distance, watching him carefully. In a glance, Kakashi identified her as a civilian from a modest family, older than him but not by much, somewhat pretty but used to manual labor.

"Hatake-san, I'm Tsunami, Tazuna's daughter. Your students told me to stay away. Would you like me to fetch them or would you like some water and soup first?"

"Water. You can come in."

"As you wish. Just a minute, I will fetch it."

He was too weak to drink on his own, which was grating and forced him to show his face unmasked. The woman, apart from a slightly larger smile, didn't comment however and obligingly left him alone as she went to find the genins.

Kakashi closed his eyes to take stock of their situation. This mission went to hell in a handbasket but at least everyone was fine.

"Sensei?"

"Aah, Sakura-chan," he mumbled. With weak arms, he straightened up in a sitting position, thankful for his genin's quick reflex as she adjusted his pillow behind his back.

"Naruto and Sasuke are checking the perimeter, they will be here shortly."

"Aah, you didn't stay idle, good work."

"Yes, sensei. I also checked and healed everything I could and I gave Tsunami-san some herbs for the soup to help with your recovery," she announced proudly.

Having a healer in the team was such a nice plus, he mused, before narrowing his eye at her. "Did you…"

"Uh? Oh! No, sensei, I didn't look under your mask, I just made a visual and chakra check," she explained quickly before pushing her braided hair away from her shoulder. "You don't have to worry about it. Hana-senpai lectured me about proper conduct. She explained that respecting patients' boundaries was important because medics have to treat shinobi when they are at their lowest and betraying their trust was dangerous for everyone involved." She straightened. "So, I promise I won't ever try to look… as long as you're my patient."

Holding back the little snort that want to escape him at his genin's smart precision, Kakashi smiled softly behind his mask. Yeah, he really owed Hana.

When Asuma had offered her a bouquet of bluebells and daffodils two weeks ago, she had been delighted. Maybe he should offer her something too? That was an annoying idea. He didn't do gifts except for _very_ special occasions. Waiting for a way to pay her back wasn't practical either though, it could take too long… Ah well, he will find something.

In the meantime, he had two students to hit on the head with his bowl for climbing the stairs as loudly as a herd of cows…

oOo

"Do you have someone waiting for you at home, Hatake-san?"

Kakashi looked up from his book to glance at his client's daughter. Tsunami was gazing at the genins learning to walk on water with an amused smile. She was playing with a dish towel and her body language didn't implied flirting. Nonetheless, Kakashi stayed aloof. "Why?"

"Mh… something Naruto said the other day made me think… I always believed that it must be hard to be the significant other of a ninja but I realized it also must be one more reason to come back home, safe and sound… isn't it?"

"I suppose," Kakashi admitted thoughtfully. It was true that he hadn't the same mindset during this mission than in his previous ones in ANBU or even when he came back to regular jounin duty. He had difficulty to pinpoint who was responsible for it however: was it his cute little genins? Or Hana? Maybe both? In any case, he wasn't able to deny that Hana was a fixture in his thoughts which was undoubtedly new. Whenever he was on a mission, he never thought about Konoha and who he left behind, he only cared about making sure the mission was complete and all his teammates able to go back to their love ones…

"You're thinking about someone." Tsunami smiled at him softly. "I recognize the look. I see it in the mirror sometimes…"

"Maa… it's complicated," he replied impulsively. He should have ignored her.

"I suppose it would be when you mix love to your way of life," she conceded easily without prying. "The way I see it…" Her eyes drifted to her son. The kid was brooding behind a tree, glaring at the genins laughing on the water. "Life is too short as it is." She turned around, apparently ready to go back inside, and sent him a last smile. "I heard you're a great ninja, Hatake-san, maybe you should work on simplifying it."

He stared at her, baffled to receive love advice from a civilian. Yet… He gazed at Inari before looking down at his clutches. Maybe she had a point.

"Sensei! Look! I got it!"

Why hesitate about such a matter when he never did anything in half? He reached for the largest rock at hand.

"Sensei?"

He will have to think about it when they were back at home. Juggling with the rock, he nodded thoughtfully. For now, he had to focus.

"Sensei!"

He threw the rock and a heavy splash rewarded him. With a pleased smile, Kakashi lounged with his book. "Not bad Sakura-chan but water isn't always still. Next step: surf on the waves."

"Grr, sensei!"

"What is it, Sakura-chan? Not a good enough chakra control? Or not enough drive? Hana would be disappointed. As for Ino…"

"I'm going!"

"Good. Don't hesitate to show off. The boys seem a bit slow on the uptake."

Sakura walked away with a pleased smirk, though she was dripping. She had discovered how good her chakra control was compared to the rest of the team when they had learned to walk on trees, a week ago. Kakashi had taught it to them specifically for her training and, without surprise, she had aced it. At least this time she was struggling a little more. It was less fun when they mastered it without a tumble of some kind.

oOo

Two days after the final fight against Zabuza, they were still guarding the bridge until it was finished even though they weren't expecting any more trouble. Kakashi had finally replenished his chakra enough to summon all his dogs for a post-fight briefing. When he waited too long to call them, they tended to worry. As it is, they swarmed towards him as soon as they made sure the bridge was free of any enemies.

"Are you alright? Are the kids alright?" Bisuke asked, nudging his ankle.

"We're fine," Kakashi stated before sitting down with his back to the guardrail to let them cuddle against him as they wished. Some of them needed physical contact – especially the youngest or Uhei who, since his poisoned injuries, worried more easily – while some of them just needed to smell him – like Bull who sniffed his hand before lying down in silent vigil or Pakkun who sat on his usual perch, on Bull's head. "Though, maybe you can help me Bisuke."

"Anything!"

"Naruto needs some distraction I think. Do you want to help him?"

"Yes! I'm going!" The dog with round eyes ran to the genin supervising Tazuna and the construction. Naruto was soon heard squealing and laughing.

"The end of the fight was rough?" Pakkun asked.

"Zabuza and his protégé both died but Naruto liked the boy. He's upset though he's pretending not to be."

"That blonde student of yours likes to make unusual friends."

"Yes, he does."

"And you're getting sloppier for needing to fight that Zabuza guy twice. How did you fuck up the first time?"

Kakashi groaned and lifted Uhei higher against his chest. He could always trust his smartest summon to call him on his mistakes and most often, like today, he was perfectly right. "Having a genin team at my back was slightly harder to adjust to than I thought," he admitted.

Pakkun shook his head. "You were a lone wolf for too long."

"Maybe." Probably.

"Pups and mate are good for you," Guruko agreed.

"Don't start this again," Kakashi groaned.

Bull barked. While Kakashi had learned to understand missions related canine language, he wasn't an Inuzuka with their natural understanding: he had to rely on the others to translate.

"He says you're lucky that your bitch – sorry, woman – is so patient," Pakkun explained. "It's true that _his_ mate isn't the patient kind at all."

"Maybe the Inuzuka girl will get tired of you and look elsewhere," Shiba noted.

"Kakashi is good mate material," Uhei protested.

"The human females say so, yeah," Shiba granted, "but kunoichi have a lot to choose from, you know, two males for a female, that's rough."

"That's true," Akino agreed, "they're bound to be others good males who won't make her wait so much."

"Is it true, Kakashi?" Uhei worried, looking up. "Is it?"

The jounin had refused to take part in this conversation, rubbing the bridge of his nose resignedly. He knew exactly what they were playing at (at least the shrewdest of them, Uhei really was distressed at the idea that Hana wouldn't be Kakashi's mate, he liked her a lot since she had healed him and the others were planning on that too, Kakashi didn't like to upset him) but they were forgetting that he wasn't the jealous kind. "Whatever Hana choose to do, it's her choice," he said in answer.

"But–"

"But," he continued to calm Uhei, "I don't plan to make her wait much longer anyway."

"Finally!" Akino crowed, wagging his tail rapidly.

The abrupt arrival of Naruto saved him from more victorious cries and smart answers. For this, Kakashi promised himself that he will pay him back somehow.

"Hey! Everyone is there! Hello, guys!" Naruto beamed at them as he hugged Bisuke to his chest. He seemed really more carefree than a few hours before. Nonetheless, the dogs weren't fooled, they could smell the sadness still clinging to him and they stared for several long seconds before jumping as one on their new prey. "Eh? Wha–ah. No! Not the licks! Stop it! Sensei! Help!"

Ah, what a nice day. No rain. Perfect weather to read for a while!

oOo

"Genma."

The tokubetsu jounin looked up from his glass and greeted him with a nod. "Kakashi. Finally back from the C turned B turned A mission from hell?"

"Heard about it?" Kakashi settled by his side at the bar's end and gestured at the barman.

"Hell yeah, you should have heard the Sandaime grumble about it. It's not often that he curses." The bodyguard chuckled and played with his senbon between his fingers. "I suppose that your team came back okay or I would have heard about it."

"Everyone's fine," Kakashi confirmed before accepting his drink – the usual, they were regular here. "This will stay between us."

Genma tilted his head in agreement and crossed his arms on the counter. "This is about the girl, isn't it?" He was careful not to mention a name, aware of the public space they were in.

"Aah." Kakashi downed his glass before stating: "You had a serious relationship once."

"Yeah," Genma confirmed peacefully. He always had been at peace with his feelings, not mushy but never afraid to admit them, which Kakashi envied a little.

"Do you regret it?"

"Hell no. That was a great time, man. I learned a lot, had fun and everything…"

Kakashi hummed and reached for the bottle left for them.

Knowing him as well as he did, Genma understood he wasn't going to get much more from him if he didn't pushed. "Let's put the cards on the table, Kakashi. You want advice? Go for it. Your girl, she doesn't seem like the kind to gouge your eyes out even if you break up so what do you have to lose? Are you afraid she would say no?"

"No."

"Then what is it?"

Kakashi downed another glass and stared at the glittering bottles displayed behind the counter. "I'm a loner for a reason. You know what happens when I am not. You were at the funerals."

Genma hummed and sipped from his own drink before replying bluntly: "Well, I call bullshit. We are shinobi. Shit happens. War happens. It sucks but funerals happen. And if… _when_ it happens to that girl… would you be happier thinking that you never have been able to call her yours? Wasted opportunities are just that… wasted."

As the jounin pondered this, he made the glass rolled unbalanced on its edge with just a bit of chakra as a trick. "Okay… Any tips?"

His friend snorted and sent his senbon spinning in the air before catching it back without looking. "Oh boy, we are here for the night."

oOo

"I relayed your message, Kakashi. Here is your answer."

The jounin currently sitting under a tree in a remote park looked up from his book to see the Haimaru brothers next to Pakkun. It was unusual to see them all away from Hana: at least one of them was staying by her side at all times.

"Hana has been requisitioned for a surgery, we can't stay while she's in those sterilized rooms," Hai explained with his equivalent of a shrug. "That also means she'll probably be too tired to see you tonight, but she'll have two days off-duty afterwards."

"Okay," Kakashi agreed peacefully. He has been back from Wave for two days, he could live a little longer without seeing her. He has given one more day of leave to his students and in the meantime being alone suited him perfectly. He needed it to relax just as much as he would appreciate sex.

The triplets surrounded him, their paws resting on his legs, while Pakkun jumped on his shoulder. Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "What now?" If they were planning some sort of intervention again, Pakkun wouldn't get treats anytime soon.

"Is it true that we will be pack soon?"

"What?" He repeated, baffled by the question as much as by their eagerness.

"Pakkun says you're thinking about mating long term with Hana. That will make us pack, yes?"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, boys," Kakashi tempered. The whines he got in answer left him bewildered and he scratched the back of his head in wonder. "Why are you so intent on this?"

"They're cool and we're cool so we want to be pack," Pakkun explained.

"You want Hana and I to be together so that you can be all pack-brothers and adopt each other?"

"Basically."

"Isn't that a bit simplistic?"

"Maybe. Or maybe it's you, humans, who make things more complicated than they need to be," the pug pointed out.

Kakashi tilted his head in thoughts. Yeah, he didn't have a good answer to this. "Maa. I'm not saying it won't happen, boys," he finally admitted to placate them. "Just gives us a little time, alright?" His fingers were immediately licked for his effort and he patted their head fondly, glad that his mask was in place: he hated it when his dogs licked his face (which is why Pakkun always did it to wake him up).

"We should introduce you to Akamaru," Ru suddenly announced to Pakkun, "he'll be your pack too!"

"I don't know. The brother seems a little bothersome to me."

"Nah, Akamaru is cooler than Kiba."

"I could do without Hana's little brother getting any ideas, boys," Kakashi warned. Messing with the kid was funny but only on his terms.

"Don't worry, Kakashi, your secret love affair is safe with us," Pakkun promised as he jumped from his perch.

"That doesn't reassure me at all," the jounin sighed as the ninkens ran away. He shook his head in despair and went back to his book. Since he had some peace and quiet, he will enjoy it as much as possible before trouble found him again, be it in canine or human form.

oOo

Kakashi hadn't forgotten his massage. You bet he hadn't. He was in dire need of one after those three crazy weeks, so much so that he dozed off under Hana's skillful hands… which she had taken for an open invitation for a sleepover. They did that often, sleeping together without necessarily having sex beforehand. That was definitely something new for him.

He still had some difficulties to adjust to it, which was why he was awake at two in the morning, looking out of the window, propped on the pillows with Hana's head tucked against his side. Her breath was warming his bare skin and her legs tangled with his stopped him from leaving. Brushing her hair absent-mindedly, he stared at the full moon.

What would Obito say if he was here? Probably something along the line of him being an idiot and a coward. He wouldn't be wrong. Sensei or Rin would probably spout some nonsense about love but he wasn't going to think about _that_ anytime soon. So, yeah, coward seemed appropriate and it wasn't an adjective that he ever thought would be used to describe him.

"Kashi?" Hana's eyes blinked open. "Something's wrong?"

"It's nothing. Go back to sleep." He rubbed the back of her neck, pressing down the spots that usually left her quivering and compliant.

She moaned and pressed herself closer but ignored his directive, choosing to climb him like a kitten and nuzzle his neck. "You don't need to talk if you don't want to. I can just stay awake with you or distract you. You don't have to stay alone with your thoughts, Kakashi."

"What if I want to?"

She sighed softly. "Then I'm going to fall asleep on you, hoping it will be enough comfort. Do you want to?"

"Well, it's tempting. You make a good blanket, though a bit on the heavy side…" He grunted when she poked his side but chuckled softly and kissed her forehead. "I'm fine Hana. We'll talk about it tomorrow, go to sleep."

"If you're sure..."

"I am."

"Okay. Can I have a kiss?"

Kakashi had never really understood what Jiraiya meant in his books when he stressed how women could lead a man by the nose. He had never experienced such an event. Let it be said that he finally saw the light.

A kiss turned into several, a light touch was followed by languorous caresses and in no time Kakashi was entirely focused on making her moan his name in that shortened way that she only used when she was sleepy or mad with lust.

"Kashi, stop teasing," she mumbled, gently raking her nails along his back.

"Nu-uh, who started this, mh?" He dropped kisses down her cleavage. "Answer me Hana, who started this?"

"I–I did."

"That's right, although I told you that you should sleep. Seems to me that this is only payback, isn't it?" He cupped her breast and caressed it in a soothing pattern.

"But…"

"But what, gorgeous?"

She shivered in his arms and held on to him tighter. "I want you to feel good and go to sleep with me too." Her breath hitched as she finally reached her climax and he held her through it, withdrawing only once she was relaxed.

"For the record, if you pull something like that, expect retaliation." His voice was light and teasing as he caresses her hips. He wasn't upset by her little trick but she should know he wasn't going to let it go either. His head was propped against his hand as he lied down and watched her stretch and hum.

"Worth it," she murmured with half-lidded eyes and a pleased smile. He could barely see her in the moonlight but somehow she was hypnotizing her. That was the only explanation for the warmth in his chest… Oh, screw it, he could hear Obito's insults clearly.

"Go on a date with me."

"What?" She froze and squinted at him.

"That's what I was thinking about earlier. When we started this, you asked that I tell you if I wanted a more stable relationship. This is it."

"Really?" Her voice was tiny, strangely delicate.

"Really."

"Oh." She rolled over and threw her arms around him. "You know I would love nothing more."

"Let's talk about it in the morning," he offered.

O

In the morning, he woke up to Hana leaving the bed and watched her naked form walk away to the bathroom. Her dark hair was dancing around her shoulders and he had the sudden urge to play with it. Why should he resist it?

When she left the bathroom, he caught her by the waist and whispered a good morning in her ear, his hands buried in her long brown locks. Since she had no spare clothes here, she had put on one of his yukata and he pushed the fabric away from her shoulder to appreciate the softness of her skin with a brush of his cheek.

"This is definitely a good start to the day," she agreed cheerfully. "Breakfast would be even better, if you let me access to the kitchen."

Kakashi hummed, pretending to consider the idea before he caught the back of her thighs and lift her. Carrying her to the next room without much effort, he dropped her on the countertop and continued to nuzzle her neck.

Hana was laughing at him, holding on with her arms around his neck. "Aren't you awfully affectionate today?! Any particular reason?"

"Mh… no. Just thought that I have a gorgeous woman under my nose and that I would be an idiot not to make the most of it."

"Well, that same woman could make you some really good breakfast if you ever let her go."

"Maa. Such a dilemma."

He let her down but purposefully shadowed her every move, intent to continue this little game until she got tired of it. It didn't happen. She called him silly but a lopsided smile was stretching her lips and she tilted her head to let him rest his chin on her shoulder.

"Okayu?" He guessed as he saw how much water she added to the rice.

"Yeah. I like it for breakfast. I add ginger during the cooking and a little bit of honey on top at the end. What do you want in yours?"

"Ginger is fine but no honey, umeboshi on top for me."

She made tamagoyaki to go with the rice porridge and cut it in small bits that she added on top of their bowls. When she was done, miso soup and tea were waiting to be picked and Kakashi had to let her go to help with carrying everything to his coffee table.

"Shall we talk about what you said last night?" Hana asked, her feet tucked under her.

"I mean it, everything I said."

"But?"

It amused him that she thought it unfair that he could read her thoughts by her expressions when she could read the subtexts in everything he said as if she understood him perfectly. He wouldn't tell her that but it seemed to him that their relationship was well-balanced.

"But…" He put his bowl down and crouched in front of her. "I'm not the effusive type. For more than one reason, I would like to keep our relationship quiet, between us, family and friends. Would that be alright?"

Her shoulders relaxed and she smiled softly. "Of course."

"Really?" He insisted, surprised. He was expecting some kind of dejected reaction at least. From his understanding of those things, women liked to be open about their relationships and some people of both sexes even bragged sometimes (though, he was pretty sure that it wasn't Hana's style).

"Yeah. I understand. Kurenai and Asuma are being secretive too. We talked about it with Kurenai, she was annoyed at first that he didn't want his father to know and that he was so worried that she would be targeted if they were official, but she came to accept it." She shrugged. "I prepared myself to the idea you would ask the same thing… if you ever said yes."

Kakashi stared. "They're together?"

"You didn't know?" She blinked. "I thought Asuma would have told you."

His eyebrow twitched. "Asuma likes to keep things from me and wait to see how long it'll take for me to learn about it."

She chuckled. "Well, now you know. I wasn't supposed to say anything to anyone but I honestly thought you knew."

He was a really lucky man. No scream, no tears, no pouting, no scene. He was prepared for any of those and nothing. Damn… He definitely won't let her go any time soon.

"So, about a date," Hana continued, looking at her soup instead of his dazzled face, "if you want to keep it quiet we can't really go to a restaurant, if it happens too often there will be rumors… Oh! But we could have a picnic! That would be nice… Or we could do a double-date with Kurenai and Asuma and everyone can pretend that we're all just friends. What do you think?"

"Anything you want."

She finished her bowl and looked up, intrigued by his breathless voice. As soon as he could get away with it without knocking over her meal, he went for a kiss and his hands slid under the yukata.

"Bed."

"What? Kakashi!"

"I really really want to ravish you right now… but you're right, the couch will do."

"Aah… The food will get cold and… ah… you're going to be late."

"Mh… Nothing worrying then."

oOo

"Yo."

"You're late, sensei!"

"Maa. I had to warm up my breakfast."

"What does that have to do with anything?!"

* * *

 _In the japanese language of flowers (aka_ Hanakotoba _), bluebells mean "grateful" and daffodils mean "respect". As you can guess, Asuma explained to Ino what he wanted and she took care of it. =) Hana knows the language too (kunoichi lessons weren't her favorite subject but she studied for it anyway) and she's really pleased that a renowned shinobi like Asuma respects her, that's why she was so happy about the flowers but, like for the lipstick, Kakashi has no clue about it._ _About food,_ okayu _is rice porridge,_ umeboshi _are pickled plums and_ tamagoyaki _is sweet rolled omelet._

 _Other than that, this website was a bit of a mess since my last update, the statistics don't work so I hope you're still there and liking it. I heard from several of you that it was your first time trying this pairing and that you love it, this makes me really happy. Don't hesitate to review to tell me what you like, if you have questions or corrections..._


	9. Chapter 9

"I can't believe he's late…" Kurenai muttered.

"Why? He's late to everything," Asuma replied with an eyebrow raised and a slow drag of his cigarette.

They were waiting in front of the restaurant where they had agreed to meet for their _unofficial_ double date. Their last member was fifteen minutes late.

"I'm sorry," Hana sighed, "I should have thought about picking him up instead of giving him a meeting place, but this is the first time it happens."

"It is?" Asuma gave her a surprised glance and adjusted his position to the wind to keep the smoke away from her and her dogs (it always made them sneeze).

"Yes. Usually, we just… meet each other…" Hana explained as she rubbed her brows, trying to muster as much patience as possible. It was her first time experiencing her boyfriend's bad habit and it wasn't a pleasant feeling. It certainly calmed her excitement for their first (secret) date. "I'm not used to this." And she didn't want to be. "How much is he late usually?"

"It depends." Asuma shrugged. "Half an hour if it's important, two hours if he's in a bad mood."

She groaned and crossed her arms. "I don't care. If he's not here in five minutes, we're eating without him. I'm ravenous." Haimaru barked in agreement at her feet. They had an early training this morning, precisely to _not_ be late.

Kurenai squeezed her shoulder gently in silent compassion. Hana gave her a small smile to convince her that she was fine. She knew what she was signing for with Hatake Kakashi as a boyfriend; she could deal with it but if he expected her to always wait for him, he had another thing coming… especially when it was about food.

Ma whined and nudged her hand. She patted his head with understanding. "I know, I know. We'll have our revenge by ordering the most expensive dishes and get him to pay for it. Okay?"

"Good luck with that," Asuma replied. "He gets the others to pay for him, not the reverse."

"Well. He can pay or he can play it solo for a while," Hana grumbled, getting small smirks from her friends as they understood her innuendo.

"I'll pay." Kakashi dropped from the roof to land in front of them and waved. "Sorry for the wait. Let's go eat, shall we?" He caught Hana by the waist and pushed her in, using this small opportunity to whisper in her ear: "I'm really sorry."

"The boys and I are _really_ hungry, Kakashi, you better have your wallet," she grumbled in answer, without much heat but without excusing him either. If she started to forgive him too easily, he might get the idea that it was okay. She had raised a brother and trained dogs, she knew how these things worked.

"I'll make up for it," he promised. They chose to sit at a low table since it was easier than a booth with the Haimaru brothers lounging around them. Nonetheless, Kakashi sat next to her and used the cover of the table to squeeze her hand.

She gave him a small smile and let him withdraw without a comment, pleased that he spontaneously gave her a small token of intimacy despite everything.

"So? No fancy excuses today, Kakashi?" Asuma teased with a lopsided smile.

"Maa. I had to escape Naruto. He was rather determined that I enroll him in the Chuunin Exams."

"Good thing that you already did, then, uh?"

"What?" Hana looked up from the menu. "You did?"

"We all did," Kurenai confirmed.

"You did?!" Hana repeated, this time a little more high-pitched. She blanched at the image of her little brother in a chuunin vest then she thought about what he would have to go through to get that vest and she raised a hand to ask for a bottle of sake. "Isn't it a bit early? They graduated only three months ago!"

"They made a lot of progress Hana, they will be fine," Kurenai tried to comfort her.

"And it's much better to have their first try here," Asuma pointed out.

"True," Hana mumbled, "but still… they're just kids." She felt the mood shift a little without understanding why. Asuma was staring at Kakashi as if he was waiting for him to react and Kurenai had her jaw clenched as if she wanted to say something but stopped herself from doing so. In doubt, Hana clarified: "I mean, my jounin sensei only let us participate when we were fourteen. Do you know how much Kiba is going to brag about doing it younger than me?"

That seemed to break the ice somehow as they all laughed at her. They took a break to order their meal and any tension disappeared

"Where was your exam?" Kurenai asked.

"In Suna. It was the end of spring and it was _so_ hot. Right, guys?" The Haimaru brothers whined and turned on their back, paws in the air and tongue dangling to illustrate what they thought of it. "Yes, it was torture," Hana approved, nodding very seriously. "I didn't care about anything else than being done as soon as possible to escape the heat. As a result, I basically beat them all into submission. Some people were pissed because the fights were so short." She shrugged. "So, the first try was enough. What about you three?"

"Well, things were a bit different at the time, it was in the middle of the Third War after all, so it was Konoha nin only," Kurenai explained succinctly.

"Ah, of course." Hana nodded and, understanding that anything about the war wasn't good conversation material for a double date, she redirected the discussion: "At least, you're right, it should be more secure in Konoha. It was pretty tough in Suna and they're allies, but here…" She shrugged. "If you think that Kiba is ready for this then I trust you, you've worked with him more than I did these last months."

Kurenai smiled and relaxed a little. "I am sure. Those rookies are talented."

"They are," Asuma agreed, "all they need is a wakeup call to the reality of the job and I think that the Chuunin Exams could give them that in a controlled space."

"So… you're not really planning on them getting promoted?" Hana asked, just to be sure.

"I think that Shino could be, maybe," Kurenai said with her chin on her hand.

"Shikamaru might," Asuma noted.

They turned to Kakashi who had stayed rather quiet during the conversation, although his book was nowhere in sight. "Mh? Oh. Yeah, Sasuke, maybe," he acknowledged.

Their food arrived, stopping any more questioning on the subject. As Hana leaned back to hand over the raw meat to her ninken, she moved to whisper in her boyfriend's ear: "Everything's alright?"

He nodded and offered her an eye-smile. She didn't believe him one bit but she wasn't going to push the matter here and now. She focused on her katsudon and the stories they traded about training genins (and pups). After a while, Kakashi shared a few of his own anecdotes – he had a lot to say about Konoha's number one unpredictable ninja – and they got a good conversation flowing, relaxed and friendly.

When they separated, Hana was quite happy with her lunch but she hadn't forgotten Kakashi's weird mood. She fell into step behind him, itching to take his hand in hers. The book was back though, which was just as good as a sign saying "back off". So she stayed quiet and simply followed him around with her hands in her red skirt's pockets (because yes, she had put on casual clothes for their date and her skirt had pockets! Bless skirts and dresses with pockets).

"You're not going to let me go, are you?" Kakashi sighed after they passed by the road leading to Hana's house.

"Nope!" She confirmed cheerfully. "Do you want to get some tea at my house? Kiba should have already left to meet his team."

"… Alright."

Home was indeed empty and the Haimaru brothers chose to run around the compound with some of their friends, leaving them both alone. The book was still stuck in front of Kakashi's eye however and she barely got a thank you for the tea she served him.

With a sigh, she stood up and left the living room. She came back from her bedroom with the _Icha Icha Paradise_ that Kakashi had lent to her and that she had never found the occasion to give back (she was a little embarrassed by the idea of walking around with this on her). "Here, before I forget again," she said, putting the book on the table in front of him.

"Forget? How could you, Hana-chan," Kakashi exclaimed, mock-outraged, "I thought you were keeping it to savor it!"

"Uhuh, once was enough, thanks." She went to sit on the other side of the table but Kakashi caught her hand and pulled her on his lap. It was a nice change to his previous mood so she went with it, putting her arms around his neck for balance.

"Oh, Hana, my beloved, moon of my life, you sparked in me a fire without any other…"

Her eyes widened. "Don't you dare!"

But Kakashi continued, mercilessly delivering the most famous tirade of the book and adding ad-lib parts: "… but your appreciation of a literature masterpiece left to be desire."

She burst into laughter and hit him lightly in the chest in retaliation. "Idiot."

"I'll pretend you didn't try an obvious distraction tactic if you forget I ever said that."

She only laughed harder, not even surprised that he had seen through her attempt to make him talk to her one way or another (and it had worked). "I won't ever forget that, this was too incongruous." she replied, drying the corner of her eyes with the back of her hand. She snuggled in his arms and kissed his covered cheek. "I'm sorry. I understand that you like to keep to yourself sometimes. Just… tell me if you're getting any second thoughts about us?"

"I'm not," he replied calmly, "I'm sorry that I was late and not very good company but it's unrelated to us, I promise."

She relaxed and gave him a small smile. "Alright."

Kakashi removed his mask in a silent invitation. They kissed slowly, conveying with their lips apologies and forgiveness, tenderness and care.

That sweet moment was broken by the loud opening of the front door and Kiba's impending arrival. Although they separated and the Icha Icha books disappeared from view, Hana was still on Kakashi's lap when the living room's door slid open.

"Hana! Guess what!" Her brother froze and gaped at the sight welcoming him. Once he recovered, he pointed at the jounin accusingly. "You pervert! Get away from my sister!"

"There is an uncanny resemblance to Naruto," Kakashi mumbled, tilting his head.

Hana was too busy throwing her slipper at Kiba's head to answer. "You idiot! Sit down and don't be so rude!"

The boy rubbed his face and lazily threw back the shoe at her but he didn't stop grumbling under his breath. Akamaru was wisely staying out of the line of fire by walking and sitting down behind his master.

"Kakashi is my boyfriend. I expect you to welcome him." ' _Or else'_ was heavily implied by her glare.

"But, but… he's old!" Kiba avoided the next hit and insisted: "He's like… ten years older than you!"

"Nine," Kakashi clarified in a sing-song voice. He was obviously much more amused than offended by her brother's comments. Naruto probably had him prepared to something of the sort.

"See? He's way too old for you!"

"Don't be an idiot, Kiba. dad's eight years older than mom."

"Yeah, well, they're not a good reference, are they?"

Her eyebrow twitched and she pulled herself out of Kakashi's lap to jump at Kiba's neck, catching him in an armlock and giving him a painful noogie. "Listen, you little mutt, I don't care what you think but you better deal with it and behave!"

"Mom won't approve! You're supposed to introduce him to her first!" He whined, trying to get out of her hold, in vain.

"Actually, I totally approve," Tsume replied cheerfully from the doorway. "Hatake gets my sense of humor, which makes him perfect!"

"But mom! He's _old_!"

"Nah, that's the grey hair, it's misleading," their mother replied with a wave of her hand. "He's in his prime. Perfect material for baby making!"

Kakashi visibly sweatdropped and Hana immediately let go of her brother – who was too busy gagging theatrically to care anyway. "Alright, we get it mom. Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

Akamaru was walking along the wall for a strategic retreat, leaving his partner rolling on the ground.

"Stop being so dramatic, Kiba," Tsume sighed with her arms crossed, "aren't you supposed to pretend you're ready to be a chuunin or something?"

He immediately jumped to his feet. "Right! I'm going to participate to the Chuunin Exams! I'm totally ready!"

"Right," Hana drawled, squinting at him before crawling back to Kakashi and hiding her face against his shoulder. "He's going to get killed," she mumbled, dejected.

"There, there," Kakashi replied, patting her head gently. "I'm sure his teammates won't let that happen."

"Hey!"

oOo

Hana had volunteered to be a standby medic-nin in the tower of the Forest of Death during the exam. She had thought she could stay informed in this way… and she was starting to wonder if it was such a good idea. It certainly played on her nerves.

With the rumor of Orochimaru's intrusion (Orochimaru! of all people! only Itachi could have been worse), she had tried to catch Kakashi but he had only reassured her that every rookie had reached the tower mostly uninjured before immediately disappearing on her.

Fine, okay, she understood that he must be busy and preoccupied. So she went back to work and stayed focused.

The first matches were perfectly normal with only mild injuries. Once Sakura and Ino regained consciousness, she took a minute to congratulate them on their match. They had taken their training seriously and it had shown: though they were even-matched and unable to use iryou-ninjutsu in battle yet, they had fought well. On Sakura's demand, Hana helped her to untie her hair, the tight bun that she had used making it harder to rest comfortably.

The following fights were calm enough that she was able to see the match between her brother and Naruto. Considering that she loved them both, she was glad that any cheering on her part would have been unprofessional, forcing her to keep quiet. She couldn't help but snort and cover her eyes though, when Naruto farted, sharing her little brother's pain at having to smell this in his transformed state. Beside him, the Haimaru brothers whined low and covered their muzzle.

This fight wasn't going in any history book, that's for sure, but it will teach Kiba to not underestimate his opponents. Naruto definitely was unpredictable.

And if it meant that she didn't need to worry anymore about her little brother getting hurt in this exam… well, that was a bonus that she would keep for herself.

The following match broke the peaceful rhythm, forcing her medic team to rush at Hinata's side and take her to the emergency room. The damages were intern, caused by chakra coils' rupture or loss of chakra flow in the organs, both tricky to heal but near impossible without the help of a Hyuuga. Thankfully they had one, who ended up doing most of the work on his own.

Which wasn't necessarily a bad thing considering that several of them were being called back by the medic standing by the arena. As soon as she stepped in, Hana understood why. The Sand nin was on a murderous level like no other. For a few seconds, she was convinced that they would have to evacuate a corpse, if he even left one intact. At Gai's intervention, she didn't waste a second, ignoring the killing intent coming from the crazy kid since there was a jounin between he and she. She held back a wince at the sight of Lee standing up despite the fact that he was unconscious with a mashed leg. That was Gai's apprentice alright.

His leg and arm injuries were more of her specialty: they were the kind that could be encountered in the field. However, adding to that the opening of three of the Eight Gates, which left the body severely stressed… It's not like Lee's chakra coils were optimal in the first place. It was a very frustrating process which was not helped by Gai barging in to ask about his student's health. "Get the fuck out of here, Gai!" She cursed, forgetting any politeness as she tried to save the muscles. The bones had already been tricky, fragmented as they had been, but the torn muscles were a mess. She barely registered the nurse wiping her sweating forehead or her two colleagues working on the leg (it looked even worse if that was possible, and Lee's unconscious stunt certainly hadn't helped).

She didn't notice the Akimichi heir being brought in and by the time she was done, the finals' matches had been decided and everyone had been dismissed.

Teams were still waiting for news about their injured members however. And, since she had the gall to shout at a renowned jounin like Gai, she was appointed spokeswoman. She rolled her eyes at them all, washed her hands, downed a glass of water and stepped into the waiting room.

Gai immediately grasped her shoulders, lifting her from the ground. "How is he?" He asked in a voice so calm that it was worrying compared to his usual excitement.

"Gai, put her down if you want her to talk," Kakashi advised. Hana was surprised that he was still here considering that Sakura had already been released, just like Ino and Tenten. A look around informed her that every rookie was here.

"Of course! My apologies, Hana-san."

"Thanks," she sighed when her feet touched the ground. "Lee is… compromised. We expect a full recovery for his arm although he'll need reeducation. However his leg… a loss of mobility is very likely. There is little chance that he'll be able to resume his career," she explained bluntly.

"I see… Can I see him?" Gai asked, subdued.

"Don't touch him, don't wake him, don't even talk to him: if he pulls off his sleep walk again and messes up his leg even more, I'll release the Inuzuka's kennels on you," she warned with a finger raised. That was a bit exaggerated but it was Gai she was talking to: it was necessary. It even seemed to help his mood.

"Understood! Your dedication to Lee's well-being is heart-warming, Hana-san!" He hugged her suddenly and so quickly that he left her spinning once he was gone.

"Whatever," she grumbled, turning back the right way. She caught sight of the Hyuuga's upturned nose and glared at him before being grabbed by her little brother.

"How's Hinata?" He blurted out.

She reflexively punched him on the head. "Stop shaking me for Kami's sake! Hinata's fine," she replied shortly. "We expect a full recovery but she'll need time for her body to recuperate, one to two months probably. Her lungs took most of the damage."

Kurenai nodded in understanding. Lungs were one of the most fragile organs (right, Asuma?). Kiba, however, growled and glared at Neji, forcing his sister to hold him back with a arm around his neck (not that she wouldn't have like to throttle that asshole of a Hyuuga either, she kinda liked the little heiress, at least because she wasn't as snob as the rest of her family). Ignoring his struggling, she turned to Team 10.

"Chouji is fine, he woke up a few minutes ago. His inner ear is a mess but there's nothing much we can do about it. It should resolve itself fully in a few days. In the meantime, his balance will be shot to hell so just keep an eye on him and steady him if he's reeling a bit too much."

"Thank you Hana-san!" Ino replied as Asuma nodded his head and Shikamaru sighed (in relief? annoyance? Hard to tell).

Tenten and Neji left to see their teammate, freeing the room from a lot of glares.

"Are you done?" Hana asked her brother.

"I'm gonna kick his ass!" Kiba grumbled.

"Not now, you won't. A Konoha shinobi doesn't attack a fellow shinobi, you know that. That _someone_ conveniently forgot basic rules don't allow you to do the same. Just make sure to cheer on Naruto when he'll kick his ass."

"Yeah! You can count on me!" Naruto shouted as he jumped on his feet. He was finally free from the hand – Kakashi's – who had kept him sitting while he glared at Neji.

Hana shut out the following conversation between the two hotheads and threw a curious glance at Kakashi as he walked to her.

"I'd like you to take a look at Sasuke, off the books," he murmured.

She frowned. "Okay, sure."

That's how, two hours later, she found herself inside Sasuke's apartment, staring at a curse seal that turned her blood to ice.

Orochimaru was in that forest. This was crazy. Like Anko didn't freak her out enough as it was, now there was a second cursed one. Great.

"This is way out of my expertise, Kakashi," she pointed out.

"Just make sure that everything else is normal," the jounin replied casually, leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. Sasuke was waiting impatiently on the couch, sullen and being his usual ray of sunshine.

"Alright," she sighed. To be honest, she wasn't looking forward to it. She had healed Mitarashi Anko before and it hadn't been a pleasant experience, even disregarding her peculiar personality. The cursed seal… it had a presence… any diagnostic jutsu would allow you to feel it, there was no way to ignore it or to hide it. It was distracting and disturbing.

She sat down by Sasuke's side, molded her chakra, closed her eyes and prepared herself to the unpleasant feeling. As soon as she put a hand on Sasuke's back, she felt it, just like she remembered. After a few minutes of a thorough check-up, she shook her head. "Like I said, I'm not an expert: everything seems in order to me but I would recommend a check-up from time to time anyway to monitor any long exposure's effects."

Kakashi nodded and went for the door. "Alright. Thanks for checking, Hana. Sasuke, you have tomorrow free, get some rest."

Hana stood up and smiled to the genin. "You did great today, Sasuke. Congratulations."

She got a nod in answer after the grunt sent at Kakashi and she left, holding back a roll of her eyes. Uchiha were as bad as Hyuuga.

Night had fallen, putting an end to a tiring day. The little streets were quiet, the silence barely broken by the shinobis running on the rooftops. Hana allowed herself to walk a little closer to Kakashi than she would in daylight. She was longing to put her head on his shoulder but that would be unpractical as they walked anyway.

Sasuke's apartment wasn't far from Kakashi's but on the opposite side of town from the Inuzuka compound. As such, Hana chose to invite herself at her boyfriend's home, following him without a thought. She kept the door opened for her ninken, took off her shoes then crashed on the couch and closed her eyes blissfully. For a few minutes, she simply appreciated the quiet until the storm in her mind summarized itself in one sentence: "I'm so glad that Kiba lost." She blinked and stretched her hand to stroke Ru's fur. "Is it bad? It's bad, isn't it?"

Kakashi was heating up water in the kitchen, probably to cook some instant noodles for diner. He shrugged. "Depends why you feel that way, I guess."

"I don't want him to face Gaara, like… ever." She straightened up on an elbow and pushed herself against the back of the couch to free some space in front of her, letting the youngest of her ninken snuggle against her as the two others lied down close by for comfort. She hid her face in Ru's fur and groaned. "Gai's student was such a mess. A little more and he'd have died a ugly death. As it is, even though he has trained so hard, he probably won't reach chuunin."

"That's the risks," Kakashi reminded her as he brought two cups of soba over.

"I understand taking those risks during a mission, but this? This is madness. Who is that kid? How can anyone be so… murderous at this age?"

"He smells like blood," Hai added, "his sand reeks of it."

"He's the jinchuriki of the Ichibi," Kakashi announced casually.

Hana gaped at him and shuddered. "I'm so glad that Kiba lose and I don't care if it makes me a bad sister," she mumbled in Ru's fur, hugging him fiercely. Naruto was great: she knew him since he was a little kid in Kiba's class and she had quickly forgotten any doubt about the Kyuubi container after witnessing how similar he was to her little brother. But a _murderous_ jinchuriki? Scary.

"You're not a bad sister but a worried one." Kakashi cautiously picked his way between paws and tails before lifting Hana's feet to put them back on his lap once he was sitting. Ma put his tail on Kakashi's bare feet to keep them warm.

"Yes," she sighed, "I am. However, between a crazy sannin and a murderous jinchuriki, I feel justified in my worry."

"Never said you weren't," he appeased her with a caress on her ankle.

She watched him with half-closed eyes. "Are you worried about Sasuke?"

"For many reasons," he admitted with a nod.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be complaining so much when you have your own worries."

He simply shook his head, which she took to mean that he didn't want to talk about it anyway. They ate in silence and went through their bedtime routine in the same way. At one point, Kakashi summoned Pakkun to keep the Haimaru brothers company and they made a dent in his food supply. Hana was too tired to care about it or any compensation. She was already half-asleep when Kakashi joined her in bed, adjusting her body around his to make up for the lack of space.

In the morning, they were both in a more talkative mood and Kakashi shared his plan for the month while they ate breakfast.

Hana couldn't help but frown at the idea that he will left for a month. "Alright," she agreed nonetheless because it was his decision and she understood the need to prepare Sasuke for an opponent like Gaara. "What about Naruto?"

"He needs to refine his skills. I'll find him an appropriate teacher."

"Like who?" She asked, a bit skeptical. Most jounin or tokubetsu jounin she knew were kept busy by the upcoming event.

"I was thinking about Ebisu."

It took several seconds for the name to register since this man wasn't part of her acquaintances. "Ebisu… Like… the man who tutors and guards the Hokage's grandkid?"

Kakashi hummed in confirmation around his miso soup.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? From what I heard about him he's kinda…"

"Mh?"

"Well… like a stick-in-the-mud, stern and not very open-minded. He doesn't seem to be the kind of teacher that Naruto would listen to."

"Maa, he'll have to if he wants to be serious in his training," Kakashi replied nonchalantly as he reached for his rice bowl.

Hana pinched the bridge of her nose. Was he missing the point on purpose? Did she need to spell it for him? Apparently. "Kakashi, you're going to let one of your student – one orphaned and neglected boy might I add – alone for a month with a teacher that he doesn't know and that he'll most likely detest to personally train your other student one to one, without any possibility for the first one to go to you for advices or support. Is there nothing that shocks you in this?"

Kakashi barely froze with his chopsticks in the air before resuming his meal. "I can't afford to coddle Naruto. Sasuke needs to improve to have a chance against Gaara."

"Of course he does and I understand that you make him your priority" (even if she didn't necessarily approve) "but why don't you stay in Konoha to do so and keep an eye on Naruto's training in the meantime? This has nothing to do with coddling!"

He shook his head. "There would be too many distractions in Konoha."

She gripped her chopsticks tighter. "So, that's it? You'll neglect one of your students because he's a distraction?"

"That's not what I said…"

"That was heavily implied!" She retorted, slamming her empty bowl on the table. The dogs started and watched them warily from the corner where they were huddled together. "Do you even listen to yourself? How would you have felt if your sensei had done that to you? Oh, but I forget, that wouldn't have happen because _you_ were the prodigy!"

Kakashi watched her from the corner of his eye, motionless and impassive. "Don't mix things up."

"Am I?" She challenged him, tilting her head. "Am I? Because it seems to me that there's more to it than the simple need to train Sasuke. You're making excuses up." She could see his jaw clench and she knew she was threading on thin ground but she wasn't going to back down from this. She was upset on Naruto's behalf and on a personal level because this didn't mesh well with her pack mentality at all.

"I'll leave with Sasuke for a month and that's final," he stated clearly.

"Fine." She stood up and walked to the door in a few steps. "When I'll see Naruto, angry and hurt that you left him alone with Ebisu, I'll be sure to commiserate with him _at length_ about what a moron you're. In the meantime, have fun sharing monosyllables with Sasuke and reading erotica all day for a _fucking_ month."

Her ninken quickly followed her, stepping out first, knowing that she wanted to slam the door behind her – which she very happily did. They all ran back to the compound for her to let off some steam.

They never saw Pakkun staring at his master insistently until Kakashi growled at him: "Just say it and be done with it."

"I was just thinking how fitting it was that your first tiff was about the pups. Still, that's a bit early in your relationship, don't ya think?" The pug disappeared in a cloud of smoke as a bowl was thrown at his head.

oOo

"Hello Naruto-kun, how are you?" Only a heavy frown answered her and she sighed. "Oh, pup… I know, I know, Kakashi is a moron. How bad is it with your teacher?"

"He's _so_ boring! And annoying!"

"… Do you want me to help you think about pulling a prank on Kakashi? … over some ramen at Ichiraku?"

"Yay! You're the best Hana-san!"

Yeah, she didn't feel guilty at all that her boyfriend was an asshole… not at all. Thank Kami that ramen was cheap.

* * *

Katsudon _is rice, egg, and sauce topped with deep-fried pork._

 _Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter to reassure me you were still there and enjoying this. That was nice of you. I hope you liked this chapter too. At first, Kakashi and Hana were supposed to meet Jiraiya by going to the onsen, thus solving the problem of Naruto's tutor but I thought this was too easy and apparently they were eager to have their first fight so here it is..._


	10. Chapter 10

"What a mess," Jiraiya noted.

Kakashi hummed in agreement. They were standing on the hospital's roof, staring at the damaged buildings and littered streets. The village had been crippled by the invasion but it was nothing that they couldn't deal with. No, that wasn't the most worrying. The Sandaime's death was the true mess that they had to deal with.

Night had passed with little sleep and dawn hadn't made the reality much easier to deal with. They had to handle the most urgent details, pushing away the personal feelings, but the smallest break and they came back to haunt them.

"Come on, Kakashi, tell me something nice, there must have been some good news that I missed while I was away, right?"

It wasn't the first time that the sannin asked him something of the sort when he came back to Konoha through the years. Each time, Kakashi had found something humorous to say about the village or its inhabitants (like the library having a sale on Icha Icha or the Hokage's hat being decorated by their budding prankster). It was the first time that he had something personal to reveal and it must be a testament to his tiredness and openness around his sensei's sensei that he said it without thinking: "I have a girlfriend."

Jiraiya was immediately by his side, holding him by the shoulders. "Who is she? Is she pretty? hot? What are her measurements? Tell me!" He asked with a lecherous grin.

"Her name is Inuzuka Hana."

"Tsume's daughter? The heiress? Damn, kiddo, well done. Makes sense, I suppose. A brunette then. I don't remember how she grew up. Tell me more."

"Maa, Jiraiya-sama…" Kakashi scratched his cheek through his mask. "Lets just say that I'm a lucky man… and I already messed it up before leaving last month."

The elder was immediately the perfect picture (or as much as he could be) of an attentive wise man. "Trouble in paradise already? Tell me everything."

It was pretty easy to sum up considering he had been pondering over their conversation for a month now. He had had way too much time to come to terms with the sad truth: he had messed up and he had to make amends.

Well before then, since he had decided to have a steady relationship in fact, he had been plagued by old demons and doubts. He had felt guilty at the idea that he was neglecting his duty to his fallen comrades, going less and less to talk to Obito or pay his respects to Rin's, Kushina's and Minato's graves. Although he hadn't wanted to stop things with Hana, he had been convinced that he was too messed-up for romance… and look where that had led him.

Hana had been angry at him but not because she felt that he wasn't doing enough for her, because in his agitated state he had neglected to consider Naruto's situation in all its complexity. She had been right and he had been too obsessed by his angst to listen.

Jiraiya hummed and patted his shoulder. "We all fuck up at one time or another, kid. What's important is to recognize when you did. Go and beg your girl on your knees for mercy if you have to… sounds to me like you shouldn't let her go. And pride is overrated anyway." The sannin stared at the Yondaime and Sandaime's heads on the Hokage's monument. "As for Naruto, well… I think I might take over for a while."

Kakashi looked up and frowned. He had messed up, yes, but he fully intended to make up for it. His expression didn't improve as Jiraiya told him of the threat he had discovered. It was a lot of bad news in so little time.

oOo

Kakashi was waiting patiently in an unused sealing room. Eye closed, arms crossed, he was leaning against the wall. For the first time in a month, his mind was clear. He knew what will be his next move and he was at peace with it.

Footsteps were coming closer and he heard Hana's tired voice by the ajar door: "What is it Ru? I really need to take a nap while I can."

His accomplice came in first and rubbed against his legs, looking for some petting. "Thanks buddy," Kakashi murmured as he provided the requested reward.

"Kakashi?" Hana was frowning at him but she walked in nonetheless and closed the door behind her other two ninken. The Haimaru brothers silently went to sit in a corner, giving them some ersatz of privacy.

Kakashi took a step forward. "I messed up. You were right. I should have listen to you. I'm sorry." He held out his hands in a silent invitation.

She visibly relaxed and immediately went for a hug. "I missed you," she murmured after a slow sigh that sounded like the disappearance of a lot of anger and… like coming home.

"I missed you too," he admitted against her hair before kissing her cheek.

"You owe Naruto lots of ramen and you're so lucky that Jiraiya-sama was here for him because Ebisu-san was such a bad choice and…"

"I know. I know, Hana."

She sighed once again. This time it sounded like surrender. "You're not allowed to leave for any extended period of time after a fight. It's exhausting to be pissed at you and worried at the same time."

That surprised him enough that he chuckled briefly. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yeah. Let's try to make up before one of us leaves on a mission."

Surprised by his quick agreement, she glanced at him curiously before nodding. "Deal."

They kissed and basked in each other's presence. On instinct, they smelled each other, finding comfort in the familiar scents, and rubbed their skins on any part available, reminding everyone and especially themselves that they were still an item. After a month apart including a stressful fight, they didn't even think about what they were doing, the need for touch and comfort being the only thing that mattered.

After a few minutes, Hana withdrew. "I'm sorry Kakashi, I wish I could stay with you but I don't have long for a break and I really didn't get enough sleep."

"You can nap here," he offered, "I booked the room for an hour."

Hana glanced at the futon in the middle of the room. It was used for patients needing iryou-fuuinjutsu. She shrugged, having slept on worse while on missions. They lied down together, surrounded by the Haimaru brothers. Hana snuggled against Kakashi, her head on his shoulder, one arm and one leg over him. She fell asleep in a few minutes.

"You did well," Hai stated. He was gazing at him with his muzzle on his forepaws. A small reddish cut under his eye showed that he hadn't been spared during the counter-attack.

Kakashi knew that Hana had fight with her mother before taking part in the evacuation of the wounded shinobi. After that, she had helped her aunt to take care of the injured ninken and now she was on the regular medical shifts to compensate for the fallen medics and the work surplus. Considering that he will be overworked too, he wasn't expecting to see her much, but at least she was willing to see him. That was all that matters, that he hadn't lost her.

That night he woke with a start to see Hana at his window. Without a word, he opened it, letting her and her ninkens in. He didn't say a word in protest when she dropped her clothes in a bunch on the floor and cuddled against him, even if her skin was cold and she smelt of antiseptics. Haimaru were smelling like ashes and earth, letting him think that they had helped in the village while their mistress was busy inside. In the end, it didn't matter. Kakashi buried his nose in Hana's neck, where she simply smelt like home and comfort.

oOo

"Senpai."

Kakashi stopped with his back to the Memorial Stone and nodded to Tenzou. Although he was still coming regularly to present his respects to his fallen comrades, he was getting lost in his memories and regrets less often, which diminished somewhat his lateness. He still had half an hour to spare before the Sandaime's funeral.

"I heard a rumor," the ANBU said shyly with his face uncovered, his mask tied to his belt.

"Maa, really? Gossips? Are you getting bored, Tenzou-kun?"

"Ah, senpai, this is special. They say you're… seeing someone. Is it true?"

Kakashi gave him his best eye-smile and replied in a sing-song voice: "Not your business!"

The way his kouhai wilted instantly was precious. "Senpai! I thought you trusted me!" He whined.

Kakashi patted his shoulder happily. "I do; which is why I replied. See ya Tenzou!" He left before he could see the realization dawn on his little kouhai.

After all, he hadn't denied.

Nodding at Yugao on the way, his mood darkened slightly as he remembered Hayate and all those they had lost in the invasion. He had been lucky that Hana had survived without more than a few scratches. If she hadn't, if she had died after the quarrel they had had… He didn't want to think about the mindset he would be in right now.

He joined the ranks of his fellow shinobi in front of the altar, standing behind his students in silent support. He glanced at the Yondaime's head on the monument and made a silent promise to care for his loved ones more than he ever did. He had always done his best to protect them from physical harm, maybe it was time that he stepped up his game on the mental level… even if he was crap at this emotional business.

After the ceremony, the mourners were slowly leaving but Naruto didn't seem ready to move, staring at the Sandaime's picture without blinking. Kakashi stepped forward and put a hand on the kid's head to ruffle his hair gently. "He'd be proud of you. You did well, during the match and after."

"How do you know? You weren't there," Naruto replied without heat, eyes void of their usual cheer.

"Just because you didn't see me doesn't mean I wasn't there. I saw your match against Neji, Naruto. You did well… I'm proud of you."

"Really?" Slowly, Naruto looked up with eyes so wide and lost that they seemed ready to swallow the cloudy sky.

Kakashi's heart clenched. He had never seen his student so vulnerable. "Really."

"But… then… why were you so late?"

At any other time, Kakashi would have lie or deflect the conversation, but not today, not when Naruto seemed so lost. "The Hokage knew that there was something strange going on and that Gaara would be important to Suna's plan. We were late on purpose, to postpone it and give our troops more time to prepare."

"Oh." Naruto fidgeted and rubbed the back of his neck. "I thought… well, it doesn't matter now."

With a soft sigh, Kakashi crouched in front of the kid he had fail this last month and he gave him a eye smile. "Jiraiya-sama, Hana and Sakura told me everything about what I missed, Naruto. I'm sorry I wasn't here as much as you wanted to, but believe me, I'm proud of you, just as much as the Sandaime would be." And just as much as his father would be.

Naruto stifled a few tears and abruptly rubbed his face with his sleeve. "Ok. Well. That's just because I'm awesome like that, sensei! Dattebayo!"

Kakashi chuckled and patted the blonde's head indulgently.

"I'm here, Sandaime-sama, sorry I'm late!" With perfect timing, Hana came out of the shadows where she had been waiting and bounced to the altar, ninkens on her heels. She bowed in front of the picture. "I promise it's not Kakashi's bad habit rubbing on me. I just had a surgery to finish before getting there. You'll be pleased to know that one more shinobi will make a full recovery!" She left a rose on the altar and bowed once again with her hands clapped together. "We'll take care of Konoha for you, Hokage-sama," she murmured before turning around. She smiled at them cheerfully. "I'm famished! Is it time for Kakashi to treat us to Ichiraku, yet?"

"Yay!" Naruto immediately agreed.

"Maa, Hana-chan," Kakashi gave a perfunctory protest. He was expecting something of the sort and he was fine with Naruto dragging him away as long as it meant the kid was feeling better.

"Senpai, how are things at the hospital?" Sakura asked as soon as they reached her and Sasuke.

"A little better. Thank you for giving a hand when you could Sakura-chan, I'm sorry I couldn't watch over you."

"It's fine senpai, I understand that I'm not advanced enough to help you during surgeries."

"From now on I should be on a more standard schedule. I'll be able to take you with me during my shifts. Unless your sensei is planning on some team training?" Hana glanced at him with a raised eyebrow.

Kakashi shook his head in answer. "I'll be busy. For now, focus on individual training, kids. Sakura, helping Hana is fine but don't forget your physical training."

"Yes, sensei! I look forward to it, senpai! I already learned a lot during this last month."

"But, eh, why will you be busy, sensei? I wanted to show you what I learn!" Naruto complain.

"We're understaffed. I'll have to take higher missions than you're clear for."

"Oh," Naruto deflated, understanding the seriousness of the situation.

Kakashi ruffled his hair. "I should be able to check on you all from time to time anyway."

"Great! I have this super jutsu that ero-sennin taught me!"

Naruto chattered as they settled at Ichiraku, taking most of the seats. Back in his usual excited mood, the blonde challenged Sasuke to compare their new jutsus as soon as he had eaten Kakashi's wallet worth. Sakura left with them, pretending to be there as a referee but obviously curious of their new tricks.

Kakashi petted Ru's head as Hana calmly finished her food. "You looked over Naruto and Sakura during this whole month, didn't you?"

"Of course. Sakura is my kouhai and she came to ask if I could give her something to do so I took her with me during my shifts to the hospital. As for Naruto, well... someone had to check that he was eating something else than ramen all the time. No offense, Teuchi-san."

The cook laughed. "None taken. It's good to see someone care for Naruto's health."

"Anyone else would be a sickly boy," Hana grumbled under her breath as she glanced at the five bowls left behind by Naruto.

They took their leave after Kakashi emptied his wallet with a resigned sigh.

Two steps down the street and a wild sannin appeared. "Look at who I found! Exactly who I was looking for! And, oh, so this is the goddess I heard about? Very pleased to meet you my lady, I'm…"

"Naruto's ero-sennin," Hana interrupted the flourished speech, making Jiraiya groan.

"That kid, I swear… Anyway…" He reached for her hand before his fingers suddenly darted for her breasts.

Kakashi nonchalantly batted his hand away.

"I heard a lot about you..." The sannin went to put an arm around Hana's shoulders.

Kakashi lifted Hana by her waist and put her down on his other side. Immediately, Jiraiya was there, continuing his gesture without a break. Kakashi held her against his chest.

"Are you done, you both?" She grumbled. "I suppose you have to talk to Kakashi, Jiraiya-sama?"

Without any shame, the old man crossed his arms and smiled mischievously. "Correct."

Hana nodded and looked up to Kakashi. "Would you have time for a snack tomorrow, before my shift?"

They agreed on a time and place before she left with a wave. Jiraiya watched her walk away, ogling her backside until Kakashi distracted him by trying to kick the back of his knee.

"Minato would be so pleased," the sannin noted with sparkling eyes. "She's good for you, kid."

Kakashi didn't outwardly react although a warm feeling filled him at the idea of his sensei's approbation. He listened silently as Jiraiya explained the mission he wanted to take Naruto in. That shortened the time he could spend with the kid and he hid a wince between his mask. If he wanted to check on Naruto's progress, he'll have to do it this afternoon. Well, he might as well, while he could.

oOo

They had agreed to meet at a tea shop. Their specialty was dango which Kakashi wasn't really fond of but indulged in from time to time as long as tea was included.

He waited patiently with his hands in his pockets. Considering their last date, the fact that Hana was on a schedule and that he was trying to make amends, he had been very careful to not be late.

Asuma and Kurenai apparently had a similar idea and Kakashi teased them gently as they reached him. Sasuke turned up next and Kakashi mourned the peaceful date he was looking for… unless he managed to get them to leave or…

Nope, peaceful date, bye bye.

With a look, Kakashi signaled his fellow jounins to pursue the two suspicious individuals who left the shop in a rush.

"Ah, Sasuke, could you help me out?" He asked cheerfully. If he left without a word, Hana would send her ninkens to tear him to shreds. Not a nice fate.

He left his disgruntled student behind, ignoring his pouting at the idea that he had to play messenger.

Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame, in a black coat with red clouds. Akatsuki. Looking for Naruto, if Jiraiya-sama was to be believed. This wasn't good. They had to take them down now, so that they couldn't realize that their target had already left and pursued him.

Kakashi stepped in when Asuma and Kurenai struggled.

He was confident that he could have dealt with Hoshigaki but Itachi… Itachi had progressed since he had been his subordinate. As the Tsukiyomi swept him in its clutches, Kakashi came to the nasty realisation that he might be outclassed.

The torture lasted for hours until a shock suddenly released him from his bounds and the red sky illusion. With a jolt, Kakashi opened his eye wide as shouts sounded out around him:

"Hana!"

He blinked and noticed the arm supporting him as well as the familiar scent. Instead of relief, dread filled his heart. "You shouldn't be here!" She was only a chuunin! This was far beyond her level.

"You're welcome, Kakashi," his girlfriend grumbled without taking offense. The Haimaru brothers were standing between them and Itachi, growling threateningly. Although Hana was looking down, her ninkens couldn't be put under most visual genjutsus: they were safe, they were her eyes.

"Hana. It has been a while," Itachi noted calmly.

"The fuck?" Kisame grumbled. "You know her too, Itachi? How did she manage to interrupt your Tsukiyomi?"

Itachi sighed as his breath came back to normal. "A lot of factors and luck: iryou-ninjutsu, good timing and reflexes... as well as her usual knack for messing up with my plans."

"You know it's a favorite hobby of mine, Itachi," the Inuzuka calmly replied.

"Uh, I was pretty sure you were a cat person, Itachi… I didn't thought you'd go for a dog girl." Kisamed noted while glaring at the ninkens distastefully.

"Youthful mistake."

"Fuck you Itachi. That was a Shisui mistake and nothing else. Your cousin was a pain in the ass and that kiss was only for his stupid challenge, don't give people any ideas!" She protested, pointing in his general direction in annoyance. "And if you're trying to piss me off to distract me, that stopped working years ago."

"Mh… It was worth a try. I'm not fond of fighting iryou-nin."

"Eh. A medic, uh?" Kisame repeated. "It's true that Konoha is supposed to have the best ones. I never fought one. I can take care of her. It should be quick."

Kakashi stood up carefully. "Not on my watch. Hana, stand back."

Before Hana could reply, Itachi hummed. "I see."

"Shut up Uchiha," Hana exclaimed so quickly that it seemed to be an automatism. "I'm falling back on support but Hai will back you up," she replied to Kakashi, jumping behind Asuma and Kurenai without waiting, followed by the two youngest dogs.

Slightly appeased, Kakashi stood his ground as Kisame attacked. Gai's sudden appearance was welcome nonetheless as he wavered, feeling the backlash of the Tsukiyomi weighing down on him. Feeling his weakness, Hai stood by his side, offering himself as a crutch.

"Hana-san, take care of Kakashi," Gai ordered after introducing himself, noticing his rival's difficulty in a glance.

"I'm fine," Kakashi retorted.

"That's for me to decide," Hana retorted, appearing immediately by his side. She put his arm around her shoulders and get them a little farther away from the battle scene, on solid ground rather than on the middle of the river. Her ninkens formed a perimeter around them and kept an eye on the fight. "And you're not fine at all. I don't know what that genjutsu of his was, but you're a mess Kakashi. It's a wonder that you're still conscious with the erratic chakra's circulation in your brain. Which is baffling, after my jutsu it should have regulated itself… Trust Itachi to disrupt my counters..." She mumbled to herself the last words.

Kakashi clenched his jaw, knowing that she was right. He had a severe headache and his balance was shaky. He stared at the river. Gai, at least, should be able to hold his ground against Itachi, thanks to his ability to fight mostly blind.

Hana's glowing hand rested on his forehead and he closed his eye at the slight relief she gave him.

"They disappeared!" Hai shouted.

Kakashi immediately stood up in a rush, Hana standing with her back to his without a complaint. They looked around, checking carefully that their enemies weren't getting ready to ambush them.

"I can't smell them," Ma noted.

"They fled." Gai, Asuma and Kurenai arrived, solemn.

"Good riddance!" Hana grumbled.

"No. They're after Naruto. They want the Kyuubi," Kakashi explained. "We have to warn Jiraiya-sama. He took Naruto with him in his travel." He wavered.

Gai caught him. "You're not in any state to go anywhere, Kakashi. I'll go."

Kakashi nodded slowly, knowing that this was the best solution despite his personal feelings. Gai left immediately, leaving Asuma to help him while Kurenai and Hana opened the way. Kakashi had insisted to go back home instead of the hospital and Hana had indulged him, considering that his condition didn't necessitate any surgery.

She immediately put him to bed and sat down by his side with a hand covered in chakra on his forehead.

"Will he be alright?" Kurenai asked.

"I think so, yes," Hana replied, frowning. "This isn't a situation I encountered before but I read about such trauma and a textbook answer seems to work. With a lot of rest, it should be enough."

"It's lucky that you interrupted this thing, whatever it was. If that's what happens when it's half-done, I'd hate to see the true end's results," Asuma said.

"How did you do it?" Kakashi asked, eye closed but still conscious.

"I was reaching you when I recognized the way you both held yourself. I knew he was putting you under a genjutsu so I immediately did a iryou-ninjutsu that disrupts the brain's chakra flow, I spare you the details but it provokes a micro-reboot of the brain. It's the strongest counter-attack to genjutsu. It's tricky but very useful on the field, I spent hours practicing it for field duty." She brushed his forehead. "And I've never been so happy I did. How do you feel?"

"Like hell," he grumbled. His arms and legs twitched under the cover at the ghost feeling of blades stabbing him again and again.

"You should sleep."

"I won't be able to."

"Then I will stay," Hana immediately decided. "Hai, go to the hospital, explain to the director that I have to take care of a S-class emergency... Kami, that's weird. S-class… This is crazy. Stupid Itachi," she mumbled to herself.

"Yeah," Asuma agreed as he opened the window for Hai, allowing him to leave quickly. "We should go and warn ANBU about this."

Kurenai nodded. "Get some rest Kakashi."

Once they were alone, Hana went to find him some water, leaving Ma and Ru to watch over him. The dogs gave him space but the tip of their muzzles were touching his skin and they licked him when the spasms became too much.

"Why did you come? I asked Sasuke to tell you that something cropped up," Kakashi said after she came back and helped him drink.

"Neither your student nor I are stupid, Kakashi. Sasuke told me that you all left in a rush although no-one gave you a message. I asked Haimaru to check if they noticed anything. Guess what they found."

Kakashi groaned. "Itachi's scent."

"Yep. There are some scents you don't forget, even five years later."

"Did Sasuke…?"

"Again: not stupid. He didn't hear anything from us about his brother."

"Good, that's a mess we don't need on top of the rest."

"Indeed. Do you want to talk about that genjutsu? I don't understand why you have muscle spasms. Is it psychologic?"

He didn't want to talk about it in front of his friends but to her he explained everything. Although she clenched her jaw, obviously upset by the idea, she stayed calm and practical. She offered him a massage as a way to rectify his brain's view of his body: he was whole. Her warm and comforting hands on his skin, kneading his muscles, certainly helped. The tremors calmed down and the nightmarish visions diminished when he closed his eyes. Somehow, he fell asleep.

* * *

 _Last week, my computer crashed. It's fried. T_T I didn't lose my files thankfully (or I would have scream) but my routine is a little bit of a mess right now. I did my best to give you a new chapter anyway, especially since I seem to have a lot of new readers since last chapter (welcome everyone! apparently some famous author that I like too put this story in her favs, isn't it awesome? That certainly helped to make me feel better 3)._

 _I hope you liked it. For the first time, Hana has an impact on the canon story. No coma for Kakashi, yay! Isn't it useful to have a medic-nin in the team? It definitely is!_


	11. Chapter 11

Kakashi's apartment really lacked some comforts. A plump pillow would be quite nice right now, since Hana didn't want to bother her boyfriend's sleep by staying on the bed. This floor wasn't comfortable, especially after hours sitting on it, even with two ninkens for armrests. She had already finished studying the medical scroll that she asked Hai to fetch her and was now bored enough that she had borrowed the second book from the Icha Icha series. She was nearly done with it. To Jiraiya's credit, it was even better than the first.

Her partners were the first to notice Kakashi waking up. They helped her to stand up and Hana carefully sit at the edge of the bed, grabbing the bottle of water she had kept at hand. "Kakashi? It's Hana. You're in bed at home, it's safe. I'm going to help you drink some water," she explained calmly in the event of disorientation. She waited for him to hum in understanding before she propped up his head and offered him water. "How do you feel?" She asked afterward.

He groaned softly and half-opened his natural eye. "A bit weak but better: no more spasms, just a low headache. How long did I sleep?"

"Nearly twenty hours, it's nine in the morning. Do you think you can eat something?" At his nod, she stood up. "I'm going to make you some rice porridge."

"I need to go to the bathroom," he muttered, pushing away his blanket.

She immediately came to a halt and stayed in reach, in case he would fall.

Although he huffed, Kakashi didn't protest and was careful to stand up slowly. After a few steps, he nodded. "I'll be fine."

"Alright. Ru will be nearby if you need anything."

Hai followed her in the kitchen and Hana waved at Ma when the dog rise his head from the couch. Her partners and she had eaten two hours earlier when she had woken up from a short sleep (that couch definitely wasn't made for sleeping on it). She made tea and breakfast for her patient.

"Hana?" Kakashi asked fifteen minutes later when he walked in the living room, bare-chested with wet hair.

She hummed without turning away from her cooking.

"Why is Sasuke sleeping on my couch?"

"Oh. He's not sleeping. I knocked him out."

"What?!"

"He barged in one hour ago, asking if it was true that you went to pursue Itachi. Don't ask me how he learned about it, I don't know. Anyway, he was pissing me off so I knocked him out, thinking that you could deal with him when you'll be awake." She turned with a grin that widened as she caught sight of Kakashi's eyebrow twitching. "You're welcome!"

"That's mean."

"We established that the brooding prodigy is yours to deal with, darling," she replied with a sing-song voice.

"Mean," he repeated as he walked to her, put his arms around her waist and his chin on her shoulder. He couldn't be very upset since he nuzzled her neck tenderly. "I want to make love to you," he mumbled, surprising her so badly that she nearly spilled some rice.

"As lovely as the thought is, I don't think you're in any state to deliver right now," she noted with humor.

"So mean," he whined.

She chuckled. "I was expecting you to be grouchy when you're tired, not childish. That's sweet." She set down the bowl of porridge and turned around in Kakashi's hold to stroke his bare cheeks and kiss him tenderly. "As soon as you've recovered, I'll be happy to show you how much I missed you," she promised, her fingers sliding on his skin and slowly brushing his pecs and abs in a silent promise. "In the meantime, I've to go back at the hospital. I already missed a shift, I can't miss another one. Ru has offered to stay with you and I'll come see you as soon as I'm done. Just make sure to eat enough and drink regularly some of this tea I brought you, it'll help with the headache, and…"

He stopped her prescription by kissing her, his lips guiding hers in a slow, long and sultry dance, leaving her breathless and wordless. He dropped a kiss on her cheek and nuzzled her temple. "I'll be fine. Thank you for taking care of me."

She smiled softly. "You're welcome. See you tonight. Take care. Ru, I entrust him to you." The ninken yipped and came to rub his head against her hand.

She left reluctantly.

oOo

It was late that night when she finally dragged herself to Kakashi's apartment, yawning and tired. As payback for her missed shift, Hana had to deal with a lot of extra work from her coworkers and she still had Sakura to teach. That hadn't left her much time to think about Kakashi but her mind hadn't been at ease nonetheless.

As she reached his window, ready to knock (trying to forcefully open it would only end up nastily, she had seen the seals although she didn't know exactly what they did), it opened for her. Kakashi lifted her inside, letting Hai and Ma follow while he hugged her tightly.

"Is there something wrong?" She asked, immediately worried by this unusual cuddling.

"How did you talk with Sakura? Is there some trick?" He mumbled with a tired sigh before withdrawing and slumping on the bed.

"Oh. It didn't went well with Sasuke?" Hana guessed as she closed the window and the curtains. Her partners had left for the living room where they will share the story of their day with their brother.

"You can say that. He's… obstinate."

She chuckled while she removed her sandals and clothes. "I would have said 'obtuse'."

Kakashi didn't answered, obviously not in the mood for a game of adjectives. He was laying down with an arm above his eyes, still bare-chested.

Hana sat down by his side. "How do you feel?"

"Just… tired. So tired."

She understood what he meant. What Itachi did clearly had done a number on his mind and she would have been surprised if he had stayed as cheerful as he had been this morning. She wondered if he had pretended to be carefree only for her sake or if her presence truly had made a difference.

Once she was in her underwear, she rolled on her side and pulled the blanket above them. Although he welcomed her touch, letting her snuggle against his side, the silence stretched as they both were unable to put their thoughts into words. Finally unwilling to let this situation festered, Hana noted: "Sometimes, we have difficulties to understand or communicate with a packmate. It doesn't make us a bad person, not as long as we're willing to try as long as is necessary. If you failed to talk with him today then you'll have to start again later, give him some time and space to cool down and for you to feel better."

He hummed without answering and for a while she thought they will have to sleep in this defeated mood. She didn't know what else to say to cheer him up. Everything seemed trite when he was like this. His scent was bitter and it was dragging her own mood down. She squirmed uncomfortably and nuzzled his shoulder. "Kakashi?"

He came out of his thoughts and looked down at her, his nose buried in her hair. "I'm sorry. I'm not good company, am I?"

"I just would like to help you, but I don't know how."

"You do, just by being here."

"Really?"

"Yeah." He kissed the top of her hair and caressed her shoulder. She offered her lips for a kiss and hummed in pleasure when, after a few minutes of making-out, his scent finally conformed with his words, sweetening slightly.

It took them longer than usual to fall asleep but they lazed in bed in the morning, kissing, cuddling and touching each other without any hurry.

Hana was resting with her back to Kakashi's chest, her hair draped on the pillow as he kissed her skin from her ear to her shoulder. He asked: "Talk to me."

"Mh? About what?"

"Anything… Itachi. What's that story about a kiss and his cousin?"

She chuckled. "Oh, that. Well, we were eleven. His cousin, Shisui, who was also his best friend, was fourteen. Itachi, like you probably remember, was already a chuunin but I was still at the academy. After school, sometimes, I went to look for him. I called it hunt training but it was just an excuse. I liked to train with him. I was at the top of my class…"

"Is that so?"

She hummed. "Top notes in theory and practice. I was very determined at the time to show that a kunoichi could be the best. Mom liked to cheer me on, saying that if I didn't pick fights in the schoolyard like any other Inuzuka, at least I had to kick their asses in the classroom. I took it to heart. A little too much maybe, I made some people cry during taijutsu practices."

Kakashi laughed and kissed her ear. "My little terror of the classroom. That's sweet. I can see it."

"You're as bad as mom. Anyway. Sometimes, but less and less often, Itachi indulged me because training with several coordinated opponents was challenging for him. Shisui thought it was funny, he liked to tease us. That particular day, it went something like this…"

" _Itachi! Found you! Hi! Oh, hey, Shisui-san."_

" _Hello, Hana."_

" _Good afternoon to you too, Hana-chaaan!"_

" _Do you have some time to train, Itachi?"_

" _I can spare five minutes."_

" _Are you sure this is what you want to ask, Hana-chan?"_

" _What else would I ask?"_

" _A kiss. I think you want a kiss but you're too afraid to ask."_

" _What? That's bullshit. I'm not afraid and if I wanted a kiss, I would have a kiss!"_

" _Sounds like you're bragging."_

" _I'm not! Stop being annoying, Shisui-san. You're wasting my five minutes!"_

"We trained. Itachi beat Haimaru and I, like usual. He offered his hand to help me up and I used the motion to kiss him on the lips as I stand up. Just a butterfly kiss, you know, enough to brag at Shisui: ' _See? I told you!'_ And he wouldn't stop laughing. This guy I swear… It wasn't that funny. Itachi just sighed."

"You were much more competitive and hotheaded at the time, weren't you?" Kakashi noted, amused.

"Guilty as charged, yeah. I think that, in a way, Itachi's betrayal was a wake-up call, of a nasty kind. What about you? How were you as a kid?"

"An idiot and a stickler for rules."

She snorted. "Fortunately, we grew up."

"And you grew up well," he noted maliciously, his hand going up to press a breast.

She snorted and started a little scuffle for dominance that only ended up with her on top because he was in the mood to indulge her and not really in the physical condition to do most of the work himself.

oOo

With Kakashi feeling better, Hana focused on her work for the rest of the week. She was pleased to see how well Sakura fit in, learning, helping and adjusting to the hospital's life. Her behavior was progressing for the better and others medics were getting interested in her thanks to her endless will to help in anyway she could. Hana already had several colleagues congratulating her for her choice of kohai.

She had said so to Kakashi and encouraged him to go check on his female student. He was spending most of his time with Sasuke, teaching him and trying to reach him despite his endless rage against Itachi. From what Hana understood, it wasn't going really well. At the end of those training sessions, Kakashi only wished for some peace and solitude.

As such, Hana was quite surprised when she came back from an evening shift to find her boyfriend sitting at the table with her family. Even more surprising, Kiba wasn't glaring, grumbling or insulting Kakashi in anyway. On the contrary, he was hanging on his every word. Baffled, Hana stayed in the doorway long enough to understand that Kakashi was relating one of the mission he had done with his ninkens' help and during which their blunders had only been equal to their exploits. Tsume's amused snorts and Kiba's impressed onomatopoeias were interspersed in the story.

"Well, this was great and everything but the one you are waiting for is finally here," Tsume noted when the story came to the end, "and _we_ have some training to do, right kiddo?" She pushed her son in the back before leading the way to the garden.

Kiba grumbled but followed, only pausing to answer his sister's raised eyebrow: "He's still old, but he's kinda cool so… I guess you can keep him. Just don't do anything where I can hear it!" He ran away.

Hana shook her head in amusement and walked in the living room. Kakashi was waiting for her, unmoving but relaxed. "Hey. I wasn't expecting you, especially not charming my little brother with your _cool_ stories."

He shrugged. "Spur of the moment." He held out his arms, asking for her to come forward so he could embrace her and rest his chin on her stomach. "What would you say about going to the onsen?"

"Right now? It's already dark."

He hummed in agreement and replied lazily, in a tone just short of sultry: "It was an idea but if you're too tired for a bath by candlelight..."

She wavered. "Just us?"

"Or with the pack. Whatever your prefer."

She glanced over her shoulder to her ninkens, lying on the patio. They had perked up. At the hospital, there wasn't much they could do to help and they didn't like the place either. That meant they spent most of their time helping other Inuzuka when they were needed. Lately, they didn't spend as much time together as they usually did.

"Some time with the pack would be lovely," she decided, smiling tenderly at her boyfriend.

The onsen they went to was always open but at this hour it was deserted and they had to lit torches and candles themselves while Kakashi's summons gossiped with Haimaru. The night's air was chilly and they all hurried to wash up before stepping in the hot water, talking and laughing.

"So, if I understand well, Kakashi, you got your ass saved by the lady, is that right?" Pakkun pointed out after the triplets told him all about the encounter with Itachi.

"That would be right, yes," Kakashi drawled without batting an eyelid, content to sit with Hana leaning against him and an arm around her shoulders.

"And we both got our asses saved by Gai," Hana added.

"Yeah, he tends to do that," Pakkun acknowledged. He walked on the rocks behind Hana's head and settled in the perfect position to be petted. "He's number one on the short list of living people who saved Kakashi's life. You just added your name on it, congratulations."

"Thank you. I've a certain interest in keeping that man alive, what a coincidence," Hana replied with humor.

"Can't see why," Pakkun noted.

"Me neither," Kakashi quipped.

Hana tutted and kissed him on the cheek. "I think you know exactly why."

Kakashi lazily opened an eye and they exchanged a meaningful glance. Content to keep it unsaid, they leaned back and basked in the moment.

oOo

Naruto came back a week later with the new Hokage in toe. Hana didn't get to see him but she learned that his priority was to find Kakashi to make sure he was alright, ready to drag Tsunade to him if necessary. Apparently, Gai had told him that his sensei had been injured because of Itachi in terms somewhat too exaggerated and complex for his peace of mind. Kakashi pretended it was a chore to reassure his student but she smirked at him, knowing that he was secretly pleased that his student care.

Hana met the Godaime for the first time during an extraordinary meeting at the hospital, several days after her induction. Tsunade was taking charge and she let it know. Fortunately, she didn't step on too many toes as she did so or there would have been a lot more of grumbles, including Hana's. The vet admired her new superior for her abilities but she wasn't a fan of the "leaving the village for years" part. It felt too much like abandonment and betrayal. It irked her Inuzuka's mindset of loyalty and devotion to the pack.

While the hospital's director finished his explanation of the changes that Tsunade wished to implement, Sakura was vibrating in her seat. Hana put a hand on her knee to appease her.

"Do you really think she'll be interested? She must be really busy!" Sakura murmured in her ear, unable to stay quiet in her excitement.

"Yes, she probably is but her apprentice, Katou Shizune, could tutor you if she sees your potential," Hana replied. "Now, calm down, I'll handle the talking alright?"

Sakura nodded quickly and dried her palms on her dress.

At the end of the meeting, they both stayed sit until most of the attendants left. A few people dared to approach Tsunade, her apprentice and the director for a few words but they left quickly. None of them could afford to stay away from their posts for long. Hana however was off duty, she had come specifically to introduce her kohai to the best sensei possible. When they finally approached their higher-ups, the director caught sight of them and nodded. "Ah, right. Tsunade-sama, you asked about new blood… This is Inuzuka Hana, specialized in field work and veterinary medicine."

Hana bowed her head respectfully. "Hokage-sama, I'd like to introduce my kohai, Haruno Sakura. She has been under my care for a little more than three months now."

Tsunade did a double take before glancing to her apprentice who nodded. "A Sakura with pink hair? Are you Naruto's teammate?"

"I am, Tsunade-sama," Sakura replied quickly, hiding her fear that her teammate had screwed any good impression she could make.

"Sakura has shown a great deal of potential during these last two weeks, Tsunade-sama. I believe that she's our most promising apprentice," the director noted.

"Is that so?" Tsunade turned an inquisitive eye on Hana.

"She is. Her understanding of theory is quick and easy, her memorization lasting and her chakra control excellent. Although her professional behavior might be lacking due to her age, her progress during those last weeks was significant. Her ethics are also quite satisfying."

"Interesting. What are your plans for her?"

"I'm not qualified to teach her what she needs. I was hoping that you or Shizune-san would be willing to consider her as an apprentice."

Tsunade glanced at Sakura, crossed her arms and studied her from top to bottom. "Between the gaki waxing lyrical about you and this glowing recommendation, I suppose I can consider it. You'll shadow Shizune from now on, once she formed an opinion about you, we'll see."

"Oh, thank you Hokage-sama! I'll do my best!" Sakura bowed deeply before bowing more quickly and shallowly to the director and Hana. "Thank you for your recommendations!" She followed her two new teachers hastily as they left.

Once Hana had left the room, Hai nudged her hand. "Are you sad that the girl is not yours anymore?"

Hana smiled softly. "A little, I suppose but it has always been the goal after all. I'm sure that she'll get that apprenticeship and she deserves nothing less." She grinned more mischievously. "And then I'll be the senpai of one of the greatest medics ever!"

"Right," Hai drawled with sceptical amusement, "in the meantime, let's get out of here. You're finally done with obligatory hospital duty, let's get some fresh air!"

oOo

Indeed, Hana was back on her regular schedule of field missions and she barely had two days of peace before she was sent in a rescue mission to the Land of Hot Water. There had been a criminal poisoning of a village's water supply and it took them three weeks to deal with.

She was extremely glad when they made their way back to Konoha. She had never worked with the members of her team: an older medic but inexperienced one on the field and two chunins who weren't used to this kind of mission. As such, Hana had been designated as the leader by the Hokage. All the pride she had felt at the time had vanished. Even though it was a little embarrassing, she was self-aware enough to admit that team's leadership wasn't really her thing. Oh, she could do it but she didn't like it one bit. In fact, she missed Raidou. As annoyingly impassive as he was, he was a great team leader and extremely competent. With him on the team, she could have focused on her true job, not in stupid details and long talks. He probably would have saved her a few days.

Her team stopped for a lunch break after the border between the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Fire, not far from the Land of Sound. Hana and Haimaru moved away to enjoy a little stream. They were only separated from the others by a few bushes.

When she came back, her teammates had disappeared. In their place, Uchiha Itachi was standing calmly.

"What the…" With shurikens between her fingers and Haimaru at the ready, she took a battle stance. "What did you do?" She checked quickly. She couldn't sense any genjutsu. She couldn't smell her teammates either. They had been here but it's like they had disappeared in thin air.

"Your team is fine," Itachi stated calmly. "You'll have them back if you do me a favor."

"Blackmail, really? You've sunk so low, Itachi." She bit her bottom lip before sighing. Did she have a choice? Not really, he could kill her easily but she liked to think that he'll respect a deal if they made one. "What is it? Do you need to be healed? or your blue friend?"

"Neither. I need you to stop Sasuke from joining Orochimaru."

"What?!"

"He's currently in the Valley of the End, fighting Naruto-kun. In fact… you might be too late." He disappeared in a flock of crows.

"What?!" Hana repeated, baffled beyond measure. She pivoted, trying to find any trace of Itachi or her team, in vain.

"Hana," Ma called. The triplets had spread to smell their surroundings but Ma kept his muzzle in the air instead of the ground. "I can smell something going on westward, it coincides with the Valley of the End."

"It could be a trap," Hai noted.

Hana gritted her teeth. "Unless you have a trail for the team, we don't have a choice."

Worried by Itachi's last words, they ran at full speed towards the Sound border. The terrain wasn't in their favor, they had to hurtle down a cliff before finally catching sight of the Valley of the End.

"Naruto is on an escarpment on the right side. He's leaking demonic chakra," Hai noted.

"Sasuke is on the other side of the lake," Ma added.

"Looks like they're fighting," Ru concluded, uneasy.

Hana was bothered by Naruto's orange chakra coating but it's Sasuke's appearance that shocked her. "What the hell is that?" she exclaimed at the sight of very ugly _wings_ , and strange coloring overall. If her ninkens hadn't told her, she wouldn't have recognized him from so far before finally smelling him. As it happens… "Urgh, what's that stench?!"

"It's coming from him. I remember smelling traces of it on him during the preliminary exam but this is far worse," Hai said.

"The curse mark. How? Kakashi is supposed to have sealed it!" Before she could make sense of the situation, the boys prepared what looked like destructive jutsus. Horrified, she moved forward, jumping on the nearest cliff to race at Sasuke and stop him. She didn't reach him in time. When she stopped on the escarpment where he was previously standing on, the genins already had leaped towards each other. She was helpless, watching it happen with wide eyes.

Thankfully, she could always count on her eldest partner to keep a cool head. "It's gonna be bad," Hai warned her.

"Wha-? Oh shit!" She realized just in time what would happen when two A-ranks jutsu collide. "Jump!" The four of them dived in the lake for cover. The blast wave wasn't long in coming. Even in the water, although they were protected from any harm, they could feel the blast of chakra, powerful and terrible. They were blew away by the flow, far from the waterfall. They swam to not be swept away by the river and reached the banks soaked and breathless.

"If they're still alive, I'm going to bash their heads together until they see stars," she promised, wringing her hair and immediately running back to the valley without caring for her wet clothes or her squishy sandals. Behind her, the triplets quickly shook themselves before following her.

She rushed back on the lake. The first thing she caught sight of was Sasuke standing on the banks with a perfectly normal appearance. The second was Naruto lying motionless at his feet. His chest wasn't moving. She felt like her heart missed a beat, squeezed as it was in her chest. Panic took hold of her, shortly followed by fury and blood rushed to her ears. She roared.

Startled, Sasuke looked up just in time to be pummeled to the ground by an enraged Inuzuka. Exhausted, he weakly tried to push her away as she was choking him. Eyes wide, he stared at her protruding fangs and creased eyes. Her claws were cutting his skin. She had never looked so feral. Not even when she had been pissed at him the day he had barged in Kakashi's apartment, asking about Itachi without caring about his sensei's health.

"Hana!" Hai jumped forward and barked to catch her attention. "The kid is alive! You need to focus on him! He's alive!"

Hana growled and squeezed tighter Sasuke's neck before she visibly forced herself to calm and loosen her grip. "You…" She breathed heavily. "You're no better than your brother, Uchiha," she spat. "You disgust me."

"I am not like him!" Sasuke shouted as much as he could between wheezing intakes of breath.

"You're! You betrayed the ones who trusted you! who cared for you! And all that for what? for following a crazy snake who attacked you, _marked_ you and want to use you like a puppet! You make me sick!" She knocked him out. "Ma, watch him, if he moves a muscle, bit him. He's not going anywhere, sit on him if you have to."

The ninken took her word for it and happily lounged on the genin, his muzzle close to his neck. Meanwhile, Hana pushed away the scratched forehead protector in repugnance and crawled to Naruto's side, breathing deeply to calm herself. She digged her claws in her thighs to focus before squaring her shoulders and getting to work. It didn't take her much time to realize that most damages had already been healed. If there wasn't a big hole in his jacket, Hana wouldn't even have known that he had been hit. She huffed and snorted. "Seems like the Kyuubi can be useful once in a while." Exhausted by the emotional backslash, she stroked Naruto's face gently, pushing away his hair and patting his cheek. "Don't scare me like that kiddo."

Ru licked Naruto's face lovingly and Hai leaned against Hana to ground her and give her his support.

"Hana?!"

The young woman looked up tiredly. Distantly, she realized it was raining. Soaked as she was and her vision addled by fury, she hadn't noticed it until now. "Kakashi," she said slowly, "you're late."

Crouching a few steps away with Pakkun by his side, Kakashi studied the situation warily. "Aah… mind filling me in?"

"Your students are idiots," she mumbled in automatic derision. Tired and drained by her feral state change, she didn't feel like doing a report. She glanced at Hai who took charge and dutifully recount the events.

"I confirm, the kid stinks of corrupted chakra," Pakkun stated afterwards. "If I may, you also look like crap, boss lady."

Hana snorted, her shoulders twitching. "Rude, Pakkun." Under Kakashi's heavy stare, she admitted quietly what Hai had faithfully kept quiet: "I might have gone feral on your student."

Pakkun scratched his ear with his hind leg and noted casually: "He's still alive." Apparently, that was enough for the ninken and his summoner. Kakashi didn't seem upset that she had roughed up his student. He was more concerned with Naruto, having the same reflex as Hana to brush his forehead, his hand passing over the kid's nose to check his breathing.

"Let's bring them back," Kakashi said, "Sasuke caused an uproar and with the village understaffed we really can't afford it." He looked up and frowned. "How did you find them by the way?"

Hana startled, suddenly reminded of how and why she had ended up here. Her team! "Ah… I was coming back to Konoha with my team when Haimaru caught sight of familiar scents and I wondered why they were here…" She didn't dare say a word about Itachi, too afraid that he was listening somewhere (that wouldn't be surprising, he had long ago learned to evade her and her partners) and that it would jeopardize her teammates' lives. "In fact, I should go and check on my team. Can you bring the kids back to Konoha on your own? Ru can help you. I'll catch up if I can." She stood up.

Kakashi took a few seconds before nodding. "Sure. Go on."

"Thanks. Hai and Ma, let's go!" She called, trying to appear unworried and unhurried. As soon as she was out of sight and hearing, she rushed to the place where she had last seen her team and Itachi.

He was waiting for her, imperturbable.

"I did my part. Where is my team?" Hana asked aggressively; her feral side, too close to the surface, changing again her appearance.

Itachi observed her fangs with detached curiosity. "You did. As promised, your team is fine. They're already well on their way to Konoha."

"What?!"

Hai and Ma sniffed and tilted their head southwards. "We can smell them. They're far. It looks like they left this place at the same time as us."

"What the… You tricked me?" Hana realized, wide-eyed.

"I did. When you left them, a genjutsu made them think that you gave them the order to go back to Konoha without you while you investigated a disturbance to the west. When you came back, a genjutsu hid their trace."

In other words, he had played her like a fiddle, knowing that she would do anything for her team and that she would cooperate with his demand. She snarled. "You asshole!" She stepped forward to jump at him but both of her ninkens held her back.

"I thought you had a better hold on this feral side of yours," Itachi noted disinterestedly.

She breathed heavily, knowing that her partners were right and that she couldn't afford to fight Itachi. "I do but your stupid little brother pissed me off."

"Ah."

"Ah? That's all you have to say to the fact that the two last living members of your oh so formidable clan are a bunch of traitors?"

"It has been said more than once that the Uchiha are cursed."

"By idiocy, maybe. I mean your brother hates you and he ends up copying you, that's the most stupid thing I witnessed in a while."

"You always have been very manichean."

"Maybe, but there isn't anything ambivalent about betraying the family and friends who trusted you."

He hummed but didn't react otherwise. "When you'll go back, you will be tempted to relate our meeting to your superiors. I advise you against it."

"Or else?" She asked, expecting threats.

"You might want to wonder how enemies of Konoha seem so well inform about what's happening inside its walls. How Orochimaru knew how to reach Sasuke. How I knew that he had left Konoha. You might also want to consider that your own team will discredit your story. I remember how little regard the Council had for your clan. Did that change?"

She gritted her teeth.

"Apparently not. The Council always had selective hearing. Others however… might be more inclined to hear you when you don't want them to."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Itachi disappeared in a flock of crows.

"Asshole," she growled, frustrated.

* * *

 _I had been asked for some humor in this chapter. I'm pretty sure I failed... but I gave you fluff instead? Yeah, that's definitely not the most funny part of the story but the worst is over since Hana changed canon and this time quite drastically._

 _By the way, I admit, I don't like Sasuke (I was okay with him at the start but he just got worse and worse). However I don't condone character bashing so don't worry, there won't be any in here, I'll treat him just as fairly as everyone else._


	12. Chapter 12

Kakashi had sent Pakkun ahead to report to the Hokage. With Naruto on his back, he was moving carefully through the forest, keeping Ru in his field of vision. Sasuke was tied to the dog's back, overloading him slightly. They were traveling silently on the ground.

The jounin had a lot on his mind. Coming back from his mission to discover that Sasuke had run away and that Naruto had gone after him was really bad news on its own. For a while, he had pictured all the outcomes possible, the worst ones playing in a loop in a corner of his mind, superimposed to the people he had failed in the past. The blast of chakra had been terrifying, convincing him he was going to be too late. He had expected the worst.

He hadn't expected Hana. Not that he was complaining about it considering that she had probably avoid Sasuke's escape but there was something amiss going on. She had blatantly lied to him.

Naruto moaned softly. "Sensei? Wh-what about Sasuke?"

Kakashi adjusted his grip. "He's here, Naruto. You managed to stop him."

"Oh. Good. Sakura-chan will be happy. I promised her to bring him back, you know…" Naruto mumbled.

"You did well, Naruto. Go back to sleep. We'll be back soon."

"'k. Thanks for coming, sensei."

"Anytime, Naruto. Anytime." He could hear him falling back asleep, his breath deepening. Kakashi relaxed slightly, glad to know that he was well. For now, his students were his priority.

"Hana is catching up," Ru announced with a hint of relief. The poor dog's awkwardness was further proof that something was going on. Most ninkens hated lies, especially when they were akin to disloyalty, and Ru was clearly one of those. He hadn't dare meet Kakashi's eyes since he was left alone with him. He was following his mistress' orders but he didn't like them.

His two brothers appeared by his side and Hana jumped down from the tree top to land in front of him. "Let me take care of the kid, Ru." Kakashi stopped long enough for them to switch, noticing bitterly that Hana didn't meet his eyes either. He had to rely on his training to stay calm and apparently unbothered when anger and disappointment vied for his attention. He locked all that and gave the signal of departure as soon as they were ready to go, jumping to the treetops for a faster trip.

On the way, they were met by a medic team and briefed on the others genins' situation. Hana growled when she learnt that her brother was included in the fights and injured, her pointed teeth showing again, but she kept quiet and didn't changed her hold on Sasuke.

They reached Konoha's gates in silence and were met by stern faces as Izumo and Kotetsu glanced at the boy hanging from Hana's shoulders. The news probably had spread in all the shinobi forces by now. This will be disastrous for Sasuke's reputation.

"Tsunade-sama is waiting for you at the hospital. Hana-san, your team reached the village safely fourty minutes ago," Izumo announced.

They nodded and jumped to the roofs, Kakashi taking the lead. He had the confirmation that she had lied to him : she couldn't check with her team in the forest if they had already reached the village at the time. As soon as they were done with the problem at hand, she had some explaining to do.

Eyes followed them all the way to the corridor where Tsunade, Shizune, Shikamaru and Shikaku were waiting for them.

"Hokage-sama," Hana spoke first, "if I can leave the wayward pup in your care, I'd like to check on my little brother."

"Your brother is fine. His ninken's the most heavily injured but your aunt is taking care of him as we speak," Tsunade replied. "I've been told you were the one to stop Sasuke from leaving after a fight between the two knuckleheads. Your report can wait but I need your assessment of the Uchiha."

Hana breathed in deeply but nodded.

Several medic-nins appeared with two stretchers, Sakura being apart of them and beaming with relief when she saw her two teammates. "You brought Sasuke back!"

Naruto opened his eyes as he was being lowered on a stretcher and grinned at her. "I kept my promise."

"Yes, you did," Sakura replied softly with a sweet smile. "We'l take care of you now. Tsunade-sama, where should we put them?"

"Naruto goes to the recovery ward. As for Sasuke…" Tsunade glanced meaningfully at Hana.

"Observation ward," Hana replied without hesitation, "under scarlet protocol."

"But scarlet protocol is for violent patients," Sakura protested, "Sasuke wouldn't hurt any Konoha inhabitants!"

Hana growled, her feral side showing again and Kakashi tensed as Shikamaru and Sakura stared at her wide-eyed. Controlling herself with deep breathes, Hana turned to the Hokage to answer: "The Uchiha is compromised. I observed an advanced stage of the cursed seal giving him significant power and mutating his morphology: believe it or not, he had wings and not the fluffy feathery kind. I question whether or not the seal might have influenced his mind, however he didn't hesitate to use deadly techniques against a comrade, effectively hitting him on the left side with a chidori, piercing the lung and electrocuting him. Naruto stopped breathing."

Kakashi tensed with the rest of the people listening. Even though Hana already had told him how bad it had been, hearing it put that way was hitting him as hardly as Sakura who gasped and covered her mouth with a hand.

"The Uchiha didn't provide assistance and everything suggest that he'd have immediately fled the Land of Fire if he had been able to do so. Do with it what you will." She fidgeted. "Tsunade-sama, if you please..."

"Yeah, go on before you go feral on me." The Hokage shooed her away, watching her leave warily before snapping her fingers to summon an hidden ANBU. "Put a guard on the Uchiha's room."

Sakura and Shizune left with the injured, Shizune squeezing gently the shoulder of her shocked apprentice.

It left four of them to conclude this crazy mission.

"It's not every day the Inuzuka heir goes feral," Shikaku noted.

"Seeing a comrade die tend to put even the calmest of them in that state," Kakashi explained. That Naruto had miraculously survived didn't change the fact that Hana had thought the worst had happened.

"So, it's true? What Sasuke did to Naruto?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yes. I felt the blast of their jutsus myself. It was devastating. And the taint of the cursed seal… its corrupted chakra was distinctive."

"I saw what the cursed seal did on Tayuya when she reached what they called the second level. She didn't even looked human anymore. She had _horns_."

Tsunade hummed. "Before anything else can be done about the Uchiha, this thing has to be dealt with. Get Jiraiya." She ordered with a new snap of her fingers. A shadow disappeared. "This will be a real political nightmare," she grumbled. "But one thing at a time. Shikamaru, your mission is a success and all of your teammates will be fine. Good job."

"It wouldn't have been if Hana-san hadn't been around," Shikamaru pointed out bitterly.

"Sometimes luck is the only thing who save us from a disaster," Kakashi noted. He was internally praying for luck being the only factor behind Hana's intervention.

"You can't rely on luck," Shikamaru grumbled.

"No," his father agreed, "but you can thank your lucky star when it's on your side."

Shikamaru nodded slowly and looked down. "Next time... I'll make sure I don't need luck to get it right."

"That's the spirit," Kakashi agreed. And he'll make sure that there won't be a next time, whether it be about his wayward student or his lying girlfriend...

oOo

Kakashi found her a few hours later on the hospital's rooftop. She was breathing in, free from any feral signs but looking tired. It was past six in the evening, the sunset was fading and it was getting colder even if the November's weather was mild this year. Hana was visibly shivering.

Right now, he could care less. He appeared right behind her, surprising her and her ninkens who jumped on their paws. "We need to talk."

She tensed but didn't turn around, simply bowing her head in agreement. "Not here. Your apartment has privacy seals, right?"

"Shunshin there. No detour."

He went first. He had time to disable his traps and take off his shoes and jacket before they walked in, closing the door behind them. Her shunshin was slower than his and she had probably took a few seconds to talk with Haimaru but her delay wasn't sufficient for a detour. Good.

As Hana took off her shoes and the triplets went to lie down on the couch, as far from the line of fire as possible, Kakashi activated the privacy seal. The next instant, he was pushing her against the wall, leaning down with a hand beside her head. "You lied to me." He wasn't angry enough to leak killing intent but he didn't need to, the low, threatening tone of voice he used was enough to show how serious he was. This wasn't only about their personal relationship, this was about loyalty to Konoha.

"I did," she admitted, still unable to meet his eyes. "I had to."

"Why?"

"We were watched."

He frowned heavily. That was something he hadn't imagined and for a good reason: he hadn't sensed anyone. Not many could fool him or Pakkun's nose. "By who? Who did you meet in the wood afterward?"

She looked up slowly. "Itachi."

"What?" He straightened brusquely. "Explain yourself."

She did, telling him how Itachi had blackmailed her to get her to intervene in the Valley of the End and how he had played her before disappearing. As her tale progressed, Kakashi paced, taking off his mask and rubbing the stubble he hadn't been able to shave during his previous mission. Hana didn't moved, watching him warily.

"This doesn't make sense," he murmured once she had finished.

"You… don't believe me?" Crestfallen, she looked down and tugged on her flak jacket. He could practically hear her think that Itachi was right.

In two steps he was by her side, raising her chin with a finger and waiting until she met his eyes to say: "I believe you. You're a horrible liar."

She smiled timidly and snorted when she was sure he meant it. "Yeah, I know."

"Itachi's behavior doesn't make sense," he clarified.

"Yeah, I know! I don't get him. I don't get him at all." She sighed and tugged on her hairdo which, by now, was a true mess. She undid the bun and groaned. "To be honest, this day has been a roller-coaster and I'm just glad it's over. I can't bear thinking about _him_ one minute more. I'm just so so tired… can we talk about this tomorrow?" She pulled on her braids in frustration.

"Hey..." He caught her hand and unclasped her fingers. "Let me." Gently, he undid the intricate hairdo and rubbed her scalp along the way.

She leaned against him with her arms around his waist and her forehead against his shoulder. "I was scared that you'd be angry with me, that you wouldn't believe me..."

Once her hair was free, he combed it with his fingers slowly. "I was angry. I'm not anymore. I understand why you lied to me. I'd have done the same."

Her hold tightened and she buried her face between his neck and his shoulder. "I want to say the three words," she mumbled.

"I know but not right now, sweetheart. That's a mess for another day. Come on, let's take a shower."

"Your shower is too small for both of us."

"Then we'll have to stay very close to each other." He kissed her cheek and caught the back of her thighs to carry her to the bathroom. They did stay close under the stream of water but it was more intimate than erotic. Unsettled by her feral state, Hana obviously needed to ground herself. She was unusually jumpy and submissive, looking for touch but afraid to be unwelcome. She was always watching him from the corner of her eyes, studying the slightest change in his body language. That was the behavior of a beta having upset his alpha and looking for reassurance as much as fearing punishment. That definitely wasn't something she had accustomed him to.

Guessing that all her senses were unstable, he wrapped her in his fluffiest towel and let her dry herself as slowly as she wanted. However, when he tried to leave the bathroom to go to the kitchen, Hana followed him regardless of her naked state. He double backed and pushed her inside, where it was warm enough that she wasn't going to fall ill. There, he wrapped her in a bathrobe and made sure she was dry with her wet hair secured under a towel before allowing her to follow him like a shadow. She ate what he put under her nose without a protest and without really tasting it. She seemed to have space out since the shower, a dissociation probably helped by the hot water.

"Is she always like that after going feral?" Kakashi asked to Haimaru.

"No," Hai replied. He had finished eating and was staring at his mistress like he would a pup, ready to intervene if she put herself in some danger.

"I think the problem is that she didn't stop going in and out of it," Ru added between two mouthfuls, eating and speaking happily now that things had been cleared. "Usually, she goes feral in a fight, we beat the enemies and it's over, she's in perfect control again but tired. That didn't happened today, she couldn't take it out on anyone, she had to hold herself back."

Kakashi hummed in understanding and caressed Hana's cheek absent-mindedly when she tucked herself under his arm. It was like taking care of a clingy pet. Although the too big bathrobe wouldn't stop slipping, showing her shoulder and part of her chest, she didn't adjusted it unless it was hindering her moves. She was still as beautiful as ever but that didn't arouse him at all. He really prefered his Hana more aware.

Going to sleep was the only time she took the initiative by taking off bathrobe and towel to cuddle against him like a monkey. She fall asleep nearly instantly. Kakashi had to adjust her and the blankets, making sure she was fully covered before letting his thoughts wander to make sense of the day.

"Kashi," she mumbled in the morning.

"Mh?"

"I can't remember last night after the shower. How much did I embarrass myself?"

He stroked the small of her back comfortingly without opening his eyes. "You were a little clingy, that's all."

She groaned and hid her face against his chest. "You hate clingy."

Kakashi rolled them over, getting her under him in a cozy mess of blankets and warm skin. "Stop overthinking it, Hana. You behaved like a needy puppy for a while after a bad day, it's not the end of the world."

"Thanks, you're making me feel so much better," she grumbled sarcastically.

He leaned on his forearms to get a better view of her face. She truly seemed upset by the subject, which baffled him a little. "Hana, I'm not annoyed because you were a little clingy last night. What is this about?"

"I was… I already messed up yesterday…"

"So you're not perfect. Good, that makes two of us. I was a little worried for a while that you were too good for me," he teased with a smirk. "I told you: I'm not angry anymore."

She gnawed on her bottom lip and looked away. "I… guess I'm overreacting."

He leaned down to stop her from hurting herself, licking her lips before kissing her tenderly. "It's alright," he whispered against her skin, getting a shiver in return. "Tell me what you need." He nuzzled her temple.

Her legs curled around his hips and her arms went around his neck. "Make love to me."

"With pleasure. But there is something you need to do for me."

She tilted her head. "What?"

"Don't hold back, don't overthink it," he whispered in her ear. "I want you like you are, not like you think I want you to be."

She blinked in surprise and smiled softly. "Aw. That's swee-eep!"

He chuckled smugly and licked tenderly the skin he had nipped.

Distracting Hana was a success. She was back to her usual behavior by breakfast, although she took great pleasure in poking him, for some reason (that had _absolutely_ nothing to do with the fact he was trying to steal her omelet rolls).

"What's going to happen now?" She asked after finally surrendering and hand-feeding him.

"To Sasuke? That's for the Hokage and the Council to decide once the Sannins took a look at the seal. I'll probably be summoned to give my opinion. I don't think they'll be too hard on him. He's the last Uchiha..."

She hummed but didn't comment. "What about Itachi? What should I say in my report?"

"You follow your team's version. Don't mention him."

"I'm going to lie to the Hokage?" She made a face. "It's a written report but still…"

"Written reports aren't for the Hokage's eyes only," he reminded her. Knowing this was going against everything she believed in, he caught her chin. "Hana, I'll handle this." His thumb caressed her jaw as she leaned into his touch. "I have a theory but I need to check some things to confirm it."

"What is it?"

"It relies on some S-class secrets," he explained apologetically.

She nodded slowly. "I understand. Ok, I'll let you handle it. In all truth, I'm glad this is out of my hands." She offered her lips for a kiss. "Better you than me."

Yeah, he wasn't looking forward to opening that can of worms; one that he had thought closed five years ago.

oOo

One week later, Kakashi was standing at the back of the Hokage's office as judgement was passed. Sasuke was standing in front of the desk with a stony expression. Shikamaru and Naruto were both standing aside, watching intently the proceedings (although the Nara pretended he was disinterested, his eyes were sharp). Jiraiya was leaning against the wall by Kakashi's side, apparently focused on Tsunade's bosom (he was definitely better at faking disinterest).

"Uchiha Sasuke," the Hokage started, "you've been recognized guilty of desertion and assault of a teammate. Those offenses should lead to your immediate imprisonment, however it has also been admitted that the cursed seal impaired your judgement in an unknown but undeniable capacity. As such and, considering the wishes of the main victim…" At that, Tsunade stopped to glare at Naruto who only beamed at her, unashamed by all the begging and badgering he had done lately. "... your judgement has been reduced. You're under a trial period of two years during which you'll be unable to leave Konoha without appropriate supervision and be unable to pretend to an higher rank. You'll also be under constant monitoring…"

"What?" Sasuke finally exclaimed. "You can't always keep me under watch!"

"Actually, I can." A devilish smile creeped on Tsunade's face. "Shizuke, send them in!"

The door opened to let Hana in, immediately followed by three dogs who took position around Sasuke, eyeing him curiously.

"Uchiha, meet your new best friends," Hana announced cheerfully. "This is Eo." She pointed to a placid akita. "Lia." The shiba walked around Sasuke as if she was committing every inch of him to memory. "And Tuc." The rottweiler growled as he stared Sasuke in the eyes. "They will follow you everywhere from now on until the Hokage changed her mind."

Sasuke glared at the Inuzuka and crossed his arms. "You can't do that. A clan can't intrude in my life."

"And who said the Inuzuka clan had any wish to do so?" Hana retorted lightly. "Your guards might be part of our pack but for this mission they're not reporting to us."

Sasuke being busy grinding his teeth and Naruto petting Eo, Shikamaru was the one to ask: "Then to who ?"

"To me." Hands in his pockets, slouched against the wall, Kakashi didn't bat an eye to the kids' stare. "Oh, by the way Sasuke-kun, I think I forgot to mention I had to move for a bigger apartment. We're neighbours now, isn't that great?" He beamed through his mask and enjoyed tremendously his student's horrified face.

"What?!"

"Yeah. The apartment just under yours is really great."

"It's definitely better than the previous one," Hana agreed cheerfully.

Aghast, Sasuke looked from one adult to the other. "No." He finally seemed to decide which part of all of this was the worst and pointed at Hana. "I don't want you anywhere near me."

"Darling, I assure you this is perfectly mutual," Hana replied, unfazed. "Fortunately, we won't need to see each other if you just behave. By the way, here is the food for your new friends. Kakashi will explain how to take care of them. See ya." She dumped a heavy bag in Sasuke's arms and left with a wave.

"They're watching me. Why should I feed them?" Sasuke growled.

"Because if they're hungry and unhappy, they'll make your life a living hell," Kakashi replied cheerfully. "Now, I think it's time for your counselor appointment. Naruto is going to come with you and I'll see you as soon as I'm done here." Kakashi stepped forward to pat his angry student's shoulder, ignoring his glowering masterfully as he pushed him out of the office.

Kakashi was left alone with the two sannins who had watched the proceedings with hidden amusement.

"He's still unstable," Tsunade noted with a sigh.

"He is," Kakashi agreed, "but I think Naruto can help him to go back on track."

"You know Naruto has to leave with me for a while," Jiraiya reminded him.

"I do but can't you postpone it for a few weeks at least?"

The elder man sighed and crossed his arms. "I suppose I can. It's not like the kid will agree to leave right now and Akatsuki won't make another try so soon as long as one of us keep an eye on him. I can give you one month I guess."

"Thank you Jiraiya-sama. There is another matter I'd like to discuss," Kakashi announced solemnly. "It's about the Uchiha Massacre."

The Hokage frowned as she leaned her chin upon her hand. "What about it? This is old stuff."

"It is, but it's still relevant and I think we might be missing some data... or at least I do." Kakashi explained his thoughts and suspicions on the matter. He had thought about it at length the previous days, remembering the circumstances of the event and all the little things that didn't match.

Jiraiya groaned heavily once they had discussed the matter and agreed that something was fishy. "I get it, Kakashi, I get it: you can't bear the thought of giving me a month of vacation, right? Fine, let me dig up years old machinations," he grumbled as he walked out.

Kakashi left, pleased despite all the work waiting for him. He had to take care of Sasuke and he had to help Jiraiya but he could deal with all of this. As long as he knew what he had to do, what he had to fight against, he will handle it.

And if he had doubts, finding Hana bouncing on his new bed and decorating the bigger apartment warmed his heart enough to forget them. The Haimaru brothers insisted on summoning his pack to show them the new place and the noises of barking, talking and playing kept away any demons he had left.

He was home and he had everyone he cared for. He'll make sure that it stayed this way. At any cost.

* * *

 _This story is coming to an end. You can expect a last chapter and then I might add some short omakes just for fluff/smut/humor depending on my inspiration. I hope you liked to read Kakashi's pov!_


	13. Chapter 13

A last look around convinced Hana that everything was ready for their guest of honor. She didn't pretend to be a great party host but she had done her best with what she had. Kami knew that she couldn't plan on Kakashi taking care of it. Sakura had been quite happy to help her thankfully, which meant that Ino quickly took charge of the situation and put the finishing touches to the event.

Hana didn't even have to invite the guests: the girls warned their teammates, the teammates told their sensei, the senseis told the Hokage and the Sannin, Asuma's nephew probably overheard and dragged his own friends here. Now they were all gathered together for the occasion. This was perfect. Hana will have to remember to let her kouhai deal with those kind of things. Delegation was so useful! Oh Kami… was Kakashi rubbing off on her?

The look on Naruto's face when he walked in the clearing and read the banner was quite comical. Dumbfounded, the genin looked up at his sensei, wide-eyed. "What...?"

"It's Hana's idea," Kakashi immediately stated to avoid taking the brunt of whatever was coming next, his face hidden behind his book, the coward. It had taken a little convincing to get him to fetch Naruto and Umino Iruka before they could eat lunch at the ramen stand but promises of sexy times always got him to move.

Hana snorted and walked forward. "I'm very proud that you brought him _only_ five minutes late, Kakashi. Now, come on Naruto, this is your party! Everyone wants to talk to you before you leave Konoha!" She didn't give him any time to process the fact that he had friends concerned about him leaving for years. The Haimaru triplets barked happily and she caught Naruto by the wrist to propel him in Kiba's arms, trusting her brother to nag him with their usual banter until everything was perfectly normal.

As intended, Naruto was immediately busy with all the rookies talking about his training, wishing him luck, giving him gifts and advices. Flabbergasted at first, Naruto soon enjoyed the attention and, staying true to himself, laughed and talked loudly.

"Nice handling," Kakashi commented, looking up from his literary shield. He gazed at the Inuzuka clan's yard where Hana had organized tables and food under a banner stating ' _Have a great trip Naruto!'_. Kakashi hummed and added: "Thanks for taking care of it."

"Yes, Hana-san," Iruka added, "thank you, it means a lot to him."

Hana smiled and shrugged. "He's pack," she explained simply. "Do you want something to eat, Iruka-san? Come along!" She caught him by the forearm and dragged him to the buffet.

"What about me?" Kakashi whined as he followed.

"You're five minutes late. You can fetch your own food."

She tried not to let him distract her, really, she did, but twenty minutes later she ended up on his lap, feeding him onigiri with a fondly exasperated expression. Kakashi smirked at her smugly.

"You're the worst," she mumbled, shaking her head.

"I don't share my food handler."

She snorted. "Idiot."

He tightened his hold around her hips and pulled her to his chest to kiss the corner of her lips. "Your idiot," he murmured near her ear, getting a shiver out of her.

A loud shout of surprise startled them. They looked up at Naruto. The boy was pointing at them, gaping. "Wh-what… what are you doing to Hana-chan, Kakashi-erosensei?!"

As they sweatdropped, embarrassed by the attention suddenly on them, Sasuke groaned and facepalmed. His three canine guardians at his feet strangely mirrored his expression. "They're together, idiot."

"What?"

"They're a couple."

"What?! But no-one told me!"

"That's because they didn't tell anyone, we just figured it out. It's obvious for any shinobi worth a dime… moron."

Naruto turned purple and jumped on his teammate, the matter of his sensei's sentimental life temporarily forgotten.

Hana hid her face behind her hands in fond consternation. "Maybe we should have told him."

"Uhuh, it's just fine that way."

" _That_ was embarrassing. The only reason you said this is that you didn't want to sit down with your student to explain how relationships work."

"Correct," he agreed casually.

She rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Don't worry Hana-chan, I'll deal with Naruto's education! By the time I'm done with him, he won't ask you any awkward questions about the birds and the bees."

Hana looked up at Jiraiya in fright. Before she could protest, the sannin had already walked away in Tsunade's direction with a bottle of sake under his arm. She tried to stand up but Kakashi stopped her.

"It's okay, Iruka already dealt with it," he assured her, patting her shoulder comfortingly. "I made sure of it to get out of _that_ awkward talk too."

"Oh, thank Kami," she breathed, shuddering at the thought that anyone's sexual education would be done by such a pervert. It would be even worse with someone as gullible as Naruto. For once, she was glad for Kakashi's knack in avoiding his responsibilities.

They shared their food in comfortable silence, Hana blocking the view of Kakashi's face while he pulled down his mask. She was content to be held and to observe the kids laughing and playing without a care.

"Naruto will be fine?" She asked in a small voice.

Kakashi's thumb brushed her cheek in reassurance. "We talked about this. This is the safest option for him."

She nodded reluctantly. The idea to keep Naruto away for his own safety didn't sit well with her but there wasn't anything she could do about it.

"You really consider him pack, don't you?" Kakashi realized.

"He's like a second little brother," she admitted with a shake of her head. "As if one wasn't enough."

Kakashi chuckled and leaned forward until their forehead were touching. "There is something that could help Naruto. Something I might need your help with," he explained in a whisper.

Her eyes immediately sharpened. "Anything."

He eye-smiled at her and leaned backward. "Later. Right now, it looks like Haimaru, Akamaru, Eo, Lia and Tuc ganged up against my cute little students."

Hana turned around to see the battlefield. It was quite the sight. Sasuke will never admit it but he had gotten used to his canine guards and they all played in a good natured way. Until Kiba entered the fray that is, then all bets were off as Shino and Lee were dragged into it and it became a full brawl.

Hana sat with her back to Kakashi's chest to enjoy the spectacle, welcoming Asuma, Kurenai and Gai as they joined them.

It was a really great day.

oOo

This outpost was one of the most important of the border. It controlled a canyon and was built partly _inside_ the mountain, giving it an underground mood that Hana wasn't exactly fond of. It didn't matter much however: they were just stopping here for a night on their way to their meeting point.

It was Hana's first mission with Kakashi, a very special one where they were alone and mostly traveling. Honestly, even if their goal was extremely important, she was focused on him. She found it fascinating to see him on the field. The further they were from home and the more acutely she noticed the little things that made him one of the most skilled shinobi of Konoha. It was exhilarating to discover that part of him.

"Hana," he chided her gently as they walked to the outpost commander's office.

"I can't help it. I just really really want to kiss you," she murmured, knowing she was giving signs of arousal. The triplets were walking in front of them, probably because they didn't want to smell her full force right now.

Kakashi stopped and cornered her against the wall. The hallway was empty. They won't have such an occasion until they were alone in their quarters. She was fully expecting him to kiss her right here and now but he simply hold the back of her neck and looked at her. "I'll gladly make love to you later but for now, put yourself together."

She blinked, surprised by his seriousness. Was she missing something? Or was he simply always so serious in those sort of circumstances? In any case, she nodded dutifully and forced herself to focus on her professionalism, pushing away her embarrassment at the gentle rebuke.

A minute later, Kakashi knocked on the right door and they walked in the CO's office. It was one of the only room with a window and the only shinobi present was looking outside, his back to them. When he turned around, Hana froze, wide-eyed.

"Dad?!"

He hadn't changed much from her memories, except that his hair was salt and pepper instead of black and he now had a well-trimmed beard. His eyes were clear, without the red brought by alcohol.

"Hana… You're even more beautiful than the photos you sent let me think," he noted, watching her just as much as she did.

Hana brought a hand to her mouth, before turning towards Kakashi. "You knew that was his outpost," she realized. "Why didn't you warn me?"

"You'd have overthink it," he replied without any regret. "I'll be outside. Take your time." And he left, just like that.

She didn't know what to say or do. After Kakashi and her had talked about it, she had written to him like suggested. It had taken two months for her to get a reply. She had nearly given up. But then it came, an assuming letter, with just a few sentences:

" _Hana,_

 _Thank you for giving me another chance._

 _I'm well. I stopped drinking and focus on work._

 _Please tell me about you and your brother. Could you send me pictures?_

 _With love,_

 _Your father."_

Certainly, it was a start. It was more than she had had in years: all his gifts always said " _Happy New Year! With love, your father._ " Clearly, he hadn't got worked up on his greeting. Still, she had expected a little more, even if it was probably silly of her. None the less, she replied with what he asked. That time the answer had been faster but not much longer, mainly compliments about how well they had grown. From then on, they had written to each other regularly. She had told him of Kiba's performance at the Chuunin exam and her own success as a field medic. He had given her a few tips and told her he was proud. It had always been a little stilted.

She had no freaking idea what to say to him face to face, but to see him was overwhelming. Despite the Haimaru brothers trying to comfort her by pressing against her legs, she had tears in her eyes and they were threatening to fall like a flood.

"Oh, please, sweetheart, don't cry. I'm afraid I've forgotten how to calm you down," he said, embarrassed.

Amused by his awkwardness, she hiccuped and offered: "Hugging isn't an A-level jutsu, dad."

"Ah, yes, it was something like that," he quipped with a snap of his fingers. "It was much more efficient when you were sitting though, and oh, look at that, I happen to have a couch."

She chuckled at his humor attempt and went to sit down by his side. There was a lot they should talk about but maybe they had to mend bridges before that.

When she opened the door ten minutes later, she punched Kakashi in the arm before grabbing him by his shirt, ignoring the book he was trying to put away in his pocket, and dragging him inside. "So, dad, this is my boyfriend."

"Kakashi-san, thank you for bringing her," her father greeted him with a nod.

Hana squinted at them when Kakashi replied with a just as polite nod. "Did you talked to my father before?"

"I might have send a letter telling him to expect you and explaining who I was," Kakashi admitted with his hands in his pockets.

"I can't believe you kept all this from me," she grumbled, poking at his arm in retaliation.

Kakashi caught her hand and wrapped her arm around her, easily immobilizing her by pressing her back to his chest. "It worked out, didn't it?"

"Yeah, but still…"

Her father smiled slightly. "I'm glad you've found someone who makes you happy, Hana. I need to have a few words with Kakashi-san but we might talk some more at dinner?"

"Sure. I'll go and find our room for the night then. Have a good manly talk," she chirped with a wave before leaving. She could also play that game and leave Kakashi alone for some awkward talk without an ounce of remorse. She was a sharing person after all.

oOo

"So, did you have a good talk with my father?" Hana asked after dinner, once they were alone in their room. She had pushed the single beds together to have a double bed and was lying across it, swinging her bare legs.

"I did," Kakashi confirmed as he took off his shoes and his vest.

She squinted at him. They had indeed seemed really conniving at dinner. It was a little worrisome (and annoying, they should be more awkward together than she and her own father!). "Are you two going to gang up on me?"

"Maa, Hana-chan, I've no idea what you mean," he replied innocently. "However, I do remember clearly that you asked for some of my attention this afternoon..." His fingers brushed her ankle and went up, stroking the back of her legs firmly before cupping her buttocks to lift her on his lap. "And I'm nothing if not dedicated to your satisfaction," he purred in her ear.

"Kakashi," she breathed as one of his hands went under her top to stroke her hips then her breasts. "You're trying to distract me, aren't you?"

"I am. Is it working?"

"Yeah." Damn her boyfriend but he was good with his hands and she was weak against his touch. "I hate you."

"No you don't, love."

"Oh," she breathed in startled pleasure. It was crazy how such a little word could mean so much for them. "Can I say the three words now?"

"Yeah."

She smiled tenderly and cupped his bare face between her hands. "Good." Their noses touched. "Kakashi, I love you."

He exhaled slowly before capturing her lips for a languorous kiss. "Me too," he whispered against her skin.

That's all she needed.

oOo

They weren't far from the outpost. The meeting place was a clearing with a cliff on one side, a small waterfall weaving through the rocks, forest all around.

"I like it here," Hana commented as she freshened up near the waterfall.

Kakashi was leaning against the cliff with a foot up, reading peacefully. He hummed and commented: "It's definitely the best ANBU meeting point we had. Unfortunately, it had to be discarded after Itachi left."

"I still have mixed feelings about the fact that the code for meeting here is 'see you in heaven'. Is this ANBU's humor?"

"I suppose so," Kakashi replied with a hint of amusement.

"It's Hatake Kakashi's humor."

They straightened up and Kakashi's book disappeared from sight as they turned to the new-comer. Uchiha Itachi was standing at the clearing's edge, unmoving and impassive.

"Itachi. Long time no see," Kakashi commented cheerfully.

"Why am I here?" Itachi asked, impassive.

Kakashi straightened and all humor disappeared from his stance, leaving behind the jounin rightfully feared in all the elemental nations. "We know the truth. We know about Danzou's orders."

Itachi hesitates briefly. "It changes nothing."

"It changes everything," Hana interjected.

"Godaime-sama sent us here. We can work with you to stop Akatsuki and Orochimaru, to counter Danzou and to secure a better future for Konoha and Sasuke."

"You're a lone wolf by now, but you can count on us if you allow yourself to, Itachi," Hana said.

The nukenin shifted on his feet. He wasn't showing any emotions but the way he was leaning towards them spoke for him. "What did you say to Sasuke?"

"Nothing. Not yet. We're waiting for your input. What should be our next move?"

* * *

 _This is officially the end. I know I could write a lot more in this universe like several of you commented but unfortunately I'm not in a Naruto mood anymore lately. It's probably obvious with how short this is, sorry about that. =( Nevertheless, I wanted to tie up loose ends and conclude this fic as it should be for all of you and I had planned to do so before the end of the year (goal reached only just so)!_

 _So here it is, and in advance: **Happy New Year** to you all! Thank you for following me in this adventure and I wish you all lots of great stories for the new year (with more HanaXKakashi I hope). =)_

 _Thanks to_ **lost in details** _for her really great review. It was the little push I needed to finish this._


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